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THE 


ANNUAL 


BIOGRAPHY  AND  OBITUARY, 


FOR  THE  YEAR 


1824. 


VOL.  VIII. 


LONDON: 

PRINTED    FOR 

LONGMAN,  HURST,  REES,  ORME,  BROWN,  AND  GREEN. 
PATERNOSTER-ROW. 


/ 


cr 

100 

A4 

Y.  r 


LoNDOir : 
Printed  by  A.  &  R.  Spottimoode, 


PREFACE. 


IT  has  been  deemed  advisable  to  make  a  change  in 
the  arrangement  of  "  The  Annual  Biography  and 
Obituary."  Hitherto  the  volume  has  usually  con- 
sisted of  four  parts,  viz.  Memoirs  of  celebrated 
Individuals,  recently  deceased;  An  Analysis  of 
Biographical  Works  ;  Neglected  Biography ;  and  a 
Biographical  Index.  This  year  the  second  and  third 
of  the  above-mentioned  parts  have  been  designedly 
omitted,  in  order  to  allow  a  greater  space  for  that 
which  it  is  presumed  has  always  formed  the  most 
attractive  portion  of  the  work,  namely,  Memoirs  of 
celebrated  Individuals,  recently  deceased. 

The  Editor  of  the  present  volume  has  great  plea- 
sure in  acknowledging  the  important  assistance  which 
he  has  received,  from  various  quarters,  in  preparing 
it  for  the  press.  Among  those  to  whom  he  is  in- 
debted for  aid,  are  some  of  the  highest  names  in 
British  literature.  It  will  at  once  be  seen  that  the 
entire  Memoirs  of  Mr.  Ricardo,  Sir  Henry  Raeburn, 
and  Mr.  Shaw  Lefevre,  are  from  much  more  able 
pens  than  his  own.  The  Memoirs  of  Mr.  Kemble, 


IV  PREFACE. 

Mrs.  Radcliffe,  Mr.  Bloomfield,  Bishop  Middleton, 
Mr.  Nollekens,  Dr.  Jenner,  the  Earl  of  St.  Vincent, 
Mr.  Angerstein,  Dr.  Baillie,  and  Lord  Glenbervie, 
have  been  enriched  by  many  valuable  private  and 
original  communications  ;  for  which  the  Editor  begs 
leave  to  return  his  best  thanks.  He  has  likewise 
freely  availed  himself  of  all  the  information  and  re- 
marks which  he  could  meet  with  in  other  publica- 
tions, whenever  that  information  appeared  to  be 
authentic,  and  those  remarks  just ;  although  it  has 
seldom  happened  that  he  has  not  found  it  necessary 
to  re-model  what  he  has  thus  derived  from  general 
sources,  to  fit  it  for  his  particular  purpose.  To  that 
able  and  copious  work,  "  Marshall's  Royal  Naval 
Biography,"  his  notices  of  naval  men  owe  the  greater 
part  of  whatever  interesting  matter  they  contain. 
•  Although  the  loss  of  so  many  distinguished  per- 
sons, whose  death  this  work  periodically  records,  is  a 
just  subject  of  private  grief  and  public  regret;  yet 
the  country,  when  she  contemplates  the  constantly 
accumulating  treasure  of  LIVING  excellence  in  her 
possession,  has  the  proud  consolation  of  feeling  that 
however  large  her  annual  expenditure  of  courage, 
learning,  genius,  and  virtue,  it  is  a  deduction  which 
-she  can  afford,  without  injury  to  her  secure  and 
splendid  capital.  He  must  indeed  be  an  inveterate 
laudator  temporis  acti,  who,  in  our  days,  confines 
himself  to  the  veneration  due  to  the  illustrious  dead, 
and  is  insensible  to  the  EXISTING  claims  to  his  ad- 
miration and  respect,  whether  in  arms,  in  arts,  in 
letters,  in  science,  or  in  all  the  benevolent  and 
.dignified  qualities  of  human  nature,  which  manifest 
themselves  on  every  side,  in  cheering  and  honourable 


PREFACE. 


variety.  One  of  the  most  beneficial  tendencies  of 
necrological  reading,  is,  to  teach  us,  while  we  lament 
that  of  which  we  have  been  deprived,  TO  VALUE 
THAT  WHICH  WE  RETAIN  ;  and  not  churlishly  to 
withhold  the  expression  of  our  applause  and  grati- 
tude, until  those  to  whom  the  approbation  of  their 
contemporaries  might  yield  a  generous  and  well- 
deserved  gratification,  have  become  tenants  of  that 
cold  and  narrow  dwelling,  into  which  the  voice  of 
human  praise  or  censure  can  never  penetrate. 


CONTENTS. 


i. 


MEMOIRS   OF   CELEBRATED    PERSONS    WHO    HAVE    DIED 

IN  1822—1823. 

Page 

1.  The  Eight  Honourable  George  Viscount  Keith  1 

2.  John  Philip  Kemble,  Esq.  -  22 

3.  Charles  Hutton,  Esq.  LL.D.  -       57 

4.  Mrs.  Ann  Radcliffe  -  89 

5.  Mr.  Robert  Bloomfield  -     106 

6.  The  Right  Honourable  General  Sir  George  BecJcwith, 

G.C.B.-  -  -     133 

7.  The  Right  Reverend  Thomas  Fanshawe  Middleton, 

D.D.F.R.S.  -     149 

8.  Charles  Shaw  Lefevre,  Esq.          -  -     1 72 

9.  Joseph  Nollekens,  Esq.  R.A.          -  -     176 

1 0.  Edward  Jenner,  Esq.  M.D.  LL.D.  F.R.S.  M.  V.I.F.     1 86 

11.  General  Dumouriez  -         -         -         -         -218 

12.  Right  Honourable  John,  Earl  of  St.  Vincent  -         -   228 

13.  John  Julius  Anger  stein,  Esq.         -  -     275 

14.  The  Right  Honorable  John  Hope,  Earl  of  Hopetoun     299 

15.  Matthew  Baillie,  M.D.       -  -     315 

16.  The    Right   Honourable    Sylvester   Douglas,   Baron 

Glenbervie    -------     335 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

Page 

17.  Major-General  Sir  Denis  Pack     -  -345 

18.  David  Ricardo,  Esq.  M.P.  -         »     368 

19.  Sir  Henry  Raeburn,  R.A.  -         -     378 

20.  John  SchancJc,  Esq.     --.:...     392 


II. 


A  general  Biographical  List  of  Persons  who  have  died  in 

1822—1823.     ....  4-03 


THE 

ANNUAL. 

BIOGRAPHY  AND  OBITUARY, 


OF 


1823. 


PART  L 

MEMOIRS  OF  CELEBRATED  PERSONS,  WH&  HA%E 
DIED  W,ITHIF  THE  ^EAflS  1822-1823,. 


No.   I. 
THE  RIGHT  HON.  GEORGE  VISCOUNT  KEITH» 

BARON  KEITH  OF  BANHEATH,  CO.  DUMBARTON;  AND  BARON  KEITH 
OF  STONEHAVEN,  MARISCHAL  IN  IRELAND;  ADMIRAL  O$  THE 
RED  ;  SECRETARY,  CHAMBERLAIN,  AND  KEEPER  OF  THE  SIGNET 
TO  THE  GR£AT  STEWARD  OF  SCOTLAND  ;  A  COUNSELLOR  OF 
STATE  FOR  SCOTLAND  AND  THE  DUCHY  OF  CORNWALL ;  TREA- 
SURER AND  COMPTROLLER  OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD  TO  K.  R  H.  THE 
DUKE  OF  CLARENCE  ;  KNIGHT  GRAND  CROSS  OF  THE  MOST 
HONORABLE  MILITARY  ORDER  OF  THE  BATH  ;  KNIGHT  OF  THE 
OTTOMAN  ORDER  OF  THE  CRESCENT,  AND  OF  THE  ROYAL  SAR- 
DINIAN MILITARY  ORDER  OF  ST.  MAURICE  AND  ST.  LAZARUS  ; 
FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL  SOCIETY,  AND  A  VICE-PRESIDENT  OF  THE 
ROYAL  WESTERN  INFIRMARY. 

Motto  —  "  CAUSE  CAUSED  ET." 

1  HE  ancestor  of  this  nobleman  was  a  German  of  the  name 
of  Elvington,  who  settled  in  Scotland  during  the  reign  of 
Robert  I.,  and  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Sir  Christopher 
Seton,  a  lady  related  to  the  royal  family,  and  who  appears  to 

VOL.    VIII.  B 


ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH. 

have  been  an  heiress,  or  to  have  obtained  crown  lands  by  way 
of  dower,  in  the  fertile  shire  of  Lothian,  which  her  husband 
called  after  his  own  name.  From  this  gentleman,  usually 
considered  as  the  founder  of  the  family,  descended  Alexander, 
who  in  the  3$d  year  of  David  II.  (1362)  exchanged  his  estate 
of  Kinchibar  for  the  lands  of  Arthberg,  in  the  county  of  Stir- 
ling, which  were  called  Elphinstqne,  and  became  the  residence 
of  his  descendants. 

Sir  Alexander,  one  of  these,  was  created  a  Baron  in  1500, 
and  the  title  has  descended  in  regular  succession  during  many 
generations.  Charles,  the  tenth  Lord  Elph  in  stone,  married 
Clementina,  .only  surviving  daughter  and  sole  heiress  of  John 
the  last  Earl  of  Wigtoun^  a  title  now  extinct^  and  niece  of 
George  Keith^  hereditary  Earl  Marischal  of  Scotland,  and  of 
Field-Marshal  Keith,  whose  family,  with  a  noble  attachment 
to  learning,  added  to  a  degree  of  munificence  befitting  a 
sovereign  house,  founded  the  college  of  New  Aberdeen,  which 
is  still  called  by  their  name,* 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  the  fifth  son  by  the  above 
marriage.  He  was  born  in  the  year  174fi;  and  received  at 
Glasgow  an  education  suitable  to  the  profession  which  he  had 
chosen.  Not  deterred  by  the  melancholy  fate  of  an  elder 
brother,  George,  who  was  lost  in  the  Prince  George  in  1758, 
he  went  to  sea,  in  February,  1762,  on  board  the  Gosport, 
commanded  by  .Captain  Jervis,  late  Earl  of  St.  Vincent.  He 
subsequently  served  in  the  Juno,  Lively,  and  Emerald  frigates, 
until  the  year  1767,  when  he  went  a  voyage  to  China  with 
his  brother,  the  Hon.  W.  Elphinstone.  In  1769  he  pro- 
ceeded to  India,  with  Commodore  Sir  John  Lindsay,  by  whom 
he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant.  Soon  after  his 
return  to  England,  whither  he  had  been  sent  with  important 
despatches,  he  was  appointed  to  the  flag-ship  of  Sir  Peter 
Dennis,  commander-in-Chief  in  the  Mediterranean;  and  in 
1772,  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Commander,  in  the  Scor- 
pion, ot  14  guns.  His  commission  as  Post-Captain  bears 

»   Marshal  Keith  was  one  of  the  favourite  Generals  of  Frederick  II.  King  of 
Prussia. 


ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH.  3 

date  March  11.  1775;  and  his  first  appointment  as  such 
appears  to  have  been  to  the  Marlborough,  of?*  guns,  stationed 
at  Portsmouth,  from  which  ship  he  soon  after  removed  into 
the  Pearl,  and  afterwards  into  the  Perseus  frigate,  and  served 
in  her  on  the  coast  of  America,  under  Lord  Howe  and 
Admiral  Arbuthnot.  At  this  time  he  was  returned  as  knight 
of  the  shire  for  the  county  of  Dumbarton,  in  which  his  family 
possessed  considerable  property  and  influence. 

At  the  reduction  of  Charlestown,  Captain  Elphinstone  com- 
manded a  detachment  of  seamen  on  shore ;  and  his  brave  and 
spirited  efforts  obtained  him  honourable  mention  in  the  official 
letter  of  the  commander  of  the  land  forces,  General  Sir  Henry 
Clinton.  He  was  also  present  at  the  attack  on  Mud  Island, 
Nov.  15.  1777. 

On  his  return  to  England,  with  Admiral  Arbuthnot's 
despatches,  our  officer  was  appointed  to  the  Warwick,  of 
50  guns.  In  1780  he  was  again  elected  to  represent  his  native 
county,  and  was  one  of  the  independent  members  who  met 
at  the  St,  Alban's  Tavern,  with  a  view  of  reconciling  Mr.  Pitt 
with  Mr.  Fox  and  the  Duke  of  Portland  (the  latter  being  at 
that  period  in  opposition),  and  by  a  union  of  parties  forming 
a  "broad-bottomed  administration."  In  the  month  of  January, 
1781,  he  captured,  after  a  smart  action,  the  Rotterdam  Dutch 
ship  of  war,  of  50  guns  and  300  men ;  which  had  been  before 
ineffectually  engaged  by  the  Isis,  also  a  fifty  gun  ship. 
During  the  remainder  of  the  war,  Captain  Elphinstone  was 
employed  on  the  American  station,  under  Admiral  Digby. 
While  there,  H.  R.  H.  Prince  William  Henry  (now  Duke 
of  Clarence),  then  a  midshipman  in  the  Prince  George,  being- 
desirous  of  a  more  active  life  than  he  spent  at  New  York,  re. 
quested  permission  to  go  to  sea,  in  order  that  he  might  obtain 
practical  experience  ;  and  added  to  this  reasonable  and  honour- 
able request,  his  wish  to  cruise  in  the  Warwick ;  the  admiral 
acquiesced,  and  Captain  Elphinstone  had  the  honour  of  the 
Prince's  company  till  he  was  transferred  to  the  care  of  Sir 
Samuel  Hood.  On  the  1 1th  Sept.  1782,  the  Warwick,  in  com- 
pany with  the  Lion,  Vestal,  and  Bonetta,  off  the  Delaware, 

B  2 


4<  ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH. 

captured  1'Aigle,  a  French  frigate,  of  40  guns,  24-pounders, 
on  the  main  deck,  and  600  men,  commanded  by  the  Count  de 
la  Touche,  who  made  his  escape  on  shore  with  the  Baron 
Viorainil,  comrnander-in-chiefof  the  French  army  in  America, 
M.  de  la  Montmorency,  Due  de  Lausan,  Vicomte  de  Fleury, 
and  some  other  officers  of  rank  ;  they  took  in  the  boat  with  them 
a  great  quantity  of  specie;  two  small  casks,  and  two  boxes,  how- 
ever, fell  into  the  hands  of  the  captors.  La  Gloire,  another 
frigate  which  was  in  company  with  1'Aigle,  in  consequence  of 
drawing  less  water,  made  her  escape.  La  Sophie,  armed  ves- 
sel, of  22  guns  and  104-  men,  was  also  taken,  the  Terrier  sloop 
of  war  was  recaptured,  and  two  brigs  were  destroyed. 

At  the  general  election  in  1786,  Captain  Elphinstone  was 
chosen  representative  in  parliament  for  Stirlingshire. 

In  1793,  soon  after  the  war  broke  out  with  France,  Captain 
Elphinstone  was  appointed  to  the  Robust,  of  74  guns ;  and 
having  been  placed  under  the  command  of  Lord  Hood,  sailed 
with  him  to  the  Mediterranean.  That  nobleman,  who  had 
always  been  deemed  one  of  the  ablest  admirals  in  the  British 
service,  was  now  engaged  in  a  project  of  no  small  importance. 
While  the  south  of  France  had  been  a  prey  by  turns  to 
terror,  and  to  insurrection,  the  combined  fleets  of  England 
and  Spain  menaced  her  departments  in  that  quarter,  cut  off 
the  supplies  of  corn  and  provisions,,  and  infused  new  hopes 
into  the  minds  of  the  malcontents.  After  negotiating  with  the 
inhabitants  of  Marseilles  and  Toulon,  the  British  admiral 
issued  a  notice,  in  which  he  stated,  "  that  if  a  candid  and  ex- 
plicit declaration  were  ma.de  in  favour  of  monarchy  in  those 
places,  the  standard  of  royalty  hoisted,  the  ships  in  the  har- 
bour dismantled,  and  the  ports  and  forts  placed  at  his  dis- 
posal, the  people  of  Provence  should  enjoy  the  protection  of 
His  Britannic  Majesty's  fleet,  and  not  an  atom  of  private  pro- 
perty be  touched."  He  also  published  a  proclamation  to  the 
same  effect ;  and  after  stating  the  anarchy  and  misery  of  the 
inhabitants,  he  concluded  with  observing,  "that  he  had  come 
to  offer  them  the  assistance  of  the  force  with  which  he  was 


ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH.  5 

furnished  by  his  sovereign,  in  order  to  spare  the  further  ef- 
fusion of  human  blood,  to  crush  with  promptitude  the  factious, 
to  re-establish  a  regular  government  in  France,  and  thereby 
maintain  peace  and  tranquillity  in  Europe." 

The  inhabitants  of  Marseilles  were  prevented  from  accept- 
ing these  terms  by  the  approach  of  a  republican  army ;  but  the 
sections  of  Toulon  immediately  proclaimed  Louis  17th;  and 
promised,  by  a  deputation,  "  that  the  moment  the  English 
squadron  cast  anchor  in  the  road,  the  white  flag  should  be 
hoisted,  the  ships  of  war  disarmed,  and  the  citadel  and  forts 
on  the  coast  placed  provisionally  at  the  disposal  of  the  British 
admiral." 

Notwithstanding  these  professions,  a  large  portion  of  the 
people,  and  also  of, the  sailors,  was  not  a  little  mortified  at 
the  idea  of  such  a  surrender.  Rear- Admiral  Trogoff,  indeed, 
declared  in  favour  of  the  conditions ;  but  Admiral  St.  Ju- 
lien,  who  had  been  recently  invested  with  the  chief  com- 
mand, together  with  the  crews  of  seven  of  the  ships,  for  some 
time  exhibited  a  spirited,  although  ineffectual  resistance. 
They  were  accordingly  forced  to  yield  ;  and,  on  August  28. 
1793,  the  English  obtained  possession  of  Toulon,  of  which 
Rear- Admiral  Goodali  was  declared  governor,  and  Rear- Ad- 
miral Gravena  commandant  of  the  troops.  But  as  it  became 
necessary  to  take  possession  of  the  forts  which  commanded  the 
ships  in  the  road,  before  the  fleet  could  enter,  fifteen  hun- 
dred men  were  previously  landed  under  Captain  George 
Keith  Elphinstone ;  who,  after  effecting  this  service,  was  or- 
dered to  assume  the  command  of  the  whole,  as  governor  of 
Fort  Malgue. 

But  the  English  in  their  turn  were  fated  to  be  exposed  to 
the  sudden  changes  incident  to  a  state  of  warfare.  A  few  days 
after  their  arrival,  General  Carteaux,  at  the  head  of  a  detach- 
ment of  the  republican  army  which  had  lately  taken  possession 
of  Marseilles,  and  routed  the  troops  raised  by  the  associated 
departments,  appeared  on  the  heights  near  Toulon.  As  he 
was  accompanied  only  by  an  advanced  guard  of  seven  hun- 

B  3 


6  ADMIRAL    LORD   KEITH. 

dred  and  fifty  men,  and  ten  pieces  of  cannon,  the  governor 
of  Fort  Malgue  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  six  hundred 
British  and  Spanish  troops,  with  which  he  marched  out,  put 
the  enemy  to  the  rout,  and  seized  their  artillery,  ammunition, 
horses,  aod  two  stands  of  colours. 

On  the  first  of  October,  the  combined  British,  Spanish,  and 
Neapolitan  forces,  under  the  command  of  Lord  Mulgrave,  Cap- 
tain Elphinstone,  and  Rear- Admiral  Gravina,  also  obtained  a 
complete  victory  at  the  heights  of  Pharon  over  a  detachment 
of  the  French  army,  consisting  of  nearly  two  thousand  men, 
the  flower  of  the  eastern  army;  of  whom  about  one  thousand 
five  hundred  were  either  killed,  wounded,  or  taken  prisoners, 
during  their  precipitate  retreat.  The  loss  on  the  side  of  the 
allies  amounted  only  to  eight  killed,  seventy-two  wounded, 
two  missing,  and  forty-eight  taken  prisoners. 

But  the  enemy  soon  recovered  from  these  defeats ;  and  a 
body  of  about  fifteen  thousand  men  having  been  assembled, 
they  obtained  possession  of  several  outposts,  and  seized  on 
the  heights  *of  Cape  Brun.  On  the  junction  of  the  victorious 
army,  which  had  lately  captured  Lyons,  they  at  length 
threatened  to  storm  the  forts,  and  by  the  aid  of  Buonaparte, 
then  an  obscure  officer  of  artillery,  found  means  to  carry  some, 
and  annoy  all  our  posts. 

It  was  therefore  reluctantly  determined,  in  a  general  coun- 
cil of  war,  that  Toulon  was  no  longer  tenable  ;  and  measures 
were  accordingly  adopted  for  the  evacuation  of  the  town  and 
arsenal,  as  well  as  for  the  destruction  of  the  ships  of  war. 
Early  in  the  morning  of  the  18th  Dec.  the  embarkation  com- 
menced; and  by  day-break  on  the  19th,  the  whole  of  the 
combined  troops,  to  the  number  of  8000,  together  with  seve- 
ral thousand  of  the  French  royalists,  were  safe  on  board, 
without  the  loss  of  a  single  man.  Tnis  service  was  effected 
under  the  superintendancc  of  Captains  Elphinstone,  Hallo- 
well,  and  Matthews,  to  whose  indefatigable  attention  and 
good  dispositions  the  fortunate  success  of  so  important  an 
operation  was  mainly  at  tributable.  It  was  also  owing  to 


ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH.  , 

their  benevolent  and  persevering  efforts  that  many  of  the  un- 
happy Toulonese  were  indebted  for  an  asylum. 

Lord  Hood,  in  his  despatch  to  government,  says,  "  In  the 
execution  of  this  service,  I  have  infinite  pleasure  in  acknow- 
ledging my  very  great  obligations  to  Captain  Elphinstone  for 
his  unremitting  zeal  and  exertion,  who  saw  the  kist  man  off,'* 
&c. ;  and  Lieutenant-General  Dundas,  in  his  official  letter, 
says,  "  Captain  Elphinstone,  as  governor  of  Fort  La  Malgue, 
has  ably  afforded  me  the  most  essential  assistance  in  his  com- 
mand and  arrangement  of  the  several  important  posts  included 
in  that  district." 

In  the  spring  of  1794,  Captain  Elphinstone  returned  to 
England  with  the  trade  from  the  Mediterranean,  and  three 
French  men  of  war,  under  his  protection.  On  the  12th 
April,  in  the  same  year,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Rear-Admiral  of  the  Blue ;  and,  on  the  4th  of  July,  to  tfeat 
of  Rear-Admiral  of  the  White,  in  which  capacity  he  hoisted 
his  flag  on  board  the  Barfleur,  of  98  guns,  in  the  Channel 
Fleet.  On  the  30th  May  he  was  created  a  K.  B.,  as  a  re- 
ward for  his  distinguished  merits. 

We  have  hitherto  beheld  the  subject  of  this  Memoir  acting 
under  the  command  of  others,  but  we  are  now  to  contemplate 
him  under  different  circumstances. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1795,  hostilities  being  about 
to  take  place  between  Great  Britain  and  the  Batavian  Re- 
public, Sir  George  Keith  Elphinstone  shifted  his  flag  to  the 
Monarch  of  74  guns,  and  sailed  from  Spithead,  April  2. 
for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  having  under  his  command  a 
small  squadron  destined  for  the  reduction  of  that  settlement. 
On  the  1st  of  June  following  he  was  advanced  to  the  rank 
of  Vice- Admiral. 

Sir  George  arrived  in  Simon's  Bay  early  in  July,  and  was 
there  reinforced  by  several  men  of  war  and  Indiamen,  having 
on  board  a  number  of  troops  under  the  command  of  Major- 
General  Craig.  The  Dutch  governor,  M.  Van  Sluyskin  re- 
jecting the  proposals  which  were  made  to  him  for  putting  the 
colony  under  the  protection  of  Great  Britain,  in  trust  for  the 

B  4 


8  ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH. 

Prince  of  Orange,  the  necessary  measures  were  taken  to  re- 
duce the  place  by  force. 

The  Dutch  troops  were  entrenched  in  .a  strong  position  at 
Muyzenherg,  distant  six  miles  from  Cape-Town,  and  well 
furnished  with  cannon,  having  a  steep  mountain  son  their 
right,  -and  the  sea  on  their  left,  difficult  of  approach  on  ac- 
count of  shallow  water,  with  a  high  surf  on  the  shore ;  but 
the  absolute  necessity  of  securing  the  post  determined  the 
British  commanders  to  proceed  without  any  hesitation. 

For  ithis  service  the  Vice- Admiral  prepared  a  gun4>oat, 
armed  the  launches  of  the  fleet  with  heavy  carronades,  iarcded 
two  battalions  -of  .seaman,  about  1000  strong,  in  addition  to 
800  -soldiers  and  marines,  and  sent  ships  frequently  round  the 
bay,  to  prevent  suspicion  of  the  attack,  which  it  was  agreed 
should  be  made  whenever  any  favourable  opportunity  might 
.oiFer. 

On  the  ?7th  of  August  a  light  breeze  sprung  up  from  the 
N.  W.,  and  .at  twelve  o'clock  the  preconcerted  signal  was 
made ;  when  Major-General  Craig  instantly  put  the  forces 
on  shore  in  imotion,  and  at  the  same  moment  Commodore 
Blankett,  with  a  detached  squadron,  got  under  weigh,  whilst 
the  armed  boats  preceded  the  inarch  of  the  troops  about  five 
hundred  yards,  to  prevent  their  being  interrupted. 

About  one  o'clock,  the  ships,  being  abreast  of  an  advanced 
post  <of  .two  guns,  fired  a  few  shot,  which  induced  those  in 
.charge  to  depart;  and,  on  approach  ing  a  second  post,  of  one 
gun  and  a  howitzer,  the  same  effect  was  produced  by  the 
same  means.  On  proceeding  off  the  camp,  the  confusion  of 
the  enemy  became  instantly  manifest,  although  the  distance 
from  the  squadron  was  greater  than  could  have  been  wished ; 
but  the  shallowness  prevented  a  nearer  approach.  The 
ships  having  taken  their  stations  in  a  very  judicious  manner, 
.opened  so  brisk  and  well-directed  a  fire,  as  to  compel  the 
enemy  to  "fly  with  ,the  greatest  precipitation ;  leaving  to  the 
assailants  two  heavy  guns,  one  brass  6-pounder,  and  two 
howitzers.  In  this  attack  the  squadron  had  only  two  men 
killed,  and  five  wounded.  Five  Dutch  East  Indiamen  were 


ADMIRAL   LORD    KEITH.  9 

found  in  the  bay,  and  taken  possession  of:  three  of  them  from 
Batavia,  with  valuable  cargoes  on  board,  and  two  from  Am- 
sterdam, which  had  delivered  their  lading  previous  to  the 
arrival  of  the  British. 

The  next  day  the  enemy  endeavoured  to  regain  the  im- 
portant position  they  had  lost,  having  drawn  out  their  whole 
force  from  Cape-Town,  with  eight  field-pieces;  but  were 
every  where  repulsed.  Upon  this  occasion  the  seamen 
and  marines  particularly  distinguished  themselves,  and  ma- 
noeuvred with  a  regularity  that  would  not  have  discredited 
veteran  troops. 

From  this  period  no  material  circumstance  occurred  till 
the  4th  Sept.,  when  the  Vice-Admiral  was  joined  by  fourteen 
sail  of  Indiamen,  having  on  board  a  large  body  of  troops, 
under  the  command  of  Major-General  Alured  Clark.  Upon 
this  accession  of  strength,  it  was  determined  to  make  an 
immediate  attack  upon  Cape-Town  ;  accordingly  the  troops, 
artillery,  and  stores,  were  landed  with  the  greatest  expedi- 
tion; and  on  the  morning  of  the  14th  the  army  began  its 
march,  each  man  carrying  four  days'  provisions,  and  the 
volunteer  seamen  from  the  Indiamen  dragging  the  guns 
through  a  deep  sand,  frequently  exposed  to  a  galling  fire 
from  the  enemy. 

At  Wyneberg,  a  post  at  a  small  distance  from  Cape-Town, 
the  Dutch  had  planted  nine  pieces  of  cannon,  and  collected 
their  forces,  determined  to  make  a  firm  stand ;  but  they  were 
so  resolutely  pushed  by  the  British,  as  to  be  under  the 
necessity  of  retreating;  and  nearly  at  the  same  time,  they 
were  alarmed  by  the  appearance  of  Commodore  Blankett, 
with  several  vessels,  which  Sir  George  K.  Elphinstone  had 
detached  into  Table-bay,  to  cause  a  diversion  on  that  side. 
Further  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  being  now  fruit- 
less, M.  Van  Sluyskin  sent  out  a  flag  of  truce,  asking  a  ces- 
sation of  arms  for  forty- eight  hours,  to  settle  the  terms  for 
surrendering  the  town :  but  only  half  that  time  was  granted  : 
and  on  the  16th,  this  valuable  colony  fell  into  the  possession 


10  ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH. 

of  Great  Britain.  The  regular  troops  taken  in  the  garrison 
amounted  to  about  1000  men. 

In  his  despatches  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  General  Clarke 
made  the  following  honourable  mention  of  his  naval  coadjutor  r 
"  The  general  character  of  Sir  George  Keith  Elphinstone, 
and  his  ardent  desire  to  serve  his  country,  are  too  well  known 
to  receive  additional  lustre  from  any  thing  I  could  say  on  that 
subject ;  but  I  should  do  injustice  to  my  feelings,  if  I  did  not 
express  the  obligations  I  am  under  for  the  ready  and  cordial 
co-operation  and  assistance  that  he  afforded  upon  every  oc- 
casion, which  so  eminently  contributed  to  the  success  of  our 
joint  endeavours/'  In  a  former  despatch,  Major- General 
Craig  thus  expressed  himself:  "  My  sense  of  the  obligations 
I  am  under  to  Sir  George  Elphinstone  is  such  as  I  should 
not  do  justice  to  in  an  attempt  to  express  it ;  his  advice,  his 
active  assistance,  and  cordial  co-operation  on  every  occasion, 
have  never  been  wanting,  and  entitle  him  to  my  warmest 
gratitude." 

This  conquest  being  finally  secured,  the  Vice-Admiral  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Indian  seas,  and  instantly  commenced  operations 
for  distressing  the  enemy  ;  and  so  rapid  were  the  movements 
of  his  squadron,  so  well  laid  were  all  his  plans,  so  admirably 
adapted  were  the  means  to  the  object,  that  in  a  very  short 
time  the  islands  of  Ceylon*,  Cochin,  Malacca,  and  the  Mo- 
luccas, surrendered  to  the  British  arms.  In  the  midst  of  this 
scene  of  success  Sir  George  learned,  by  means  of  a  spy  at 
Trangubar,  that  a  Dutch  squadron  was  shortly  expected  at 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  having  been  despatched  by  the  Gallo- 
Batavian  government,  to  make  a  strenuous  effort  for  its  reco- 
very ;  upon  which  he  immediately  sailed  thither,  and  fortu- 
nately arrived  before  the  enemy.  On  the  3d  Aug.  1796,  he 


*  Columba  and  its  dependencies  in  the  island  of  Ceylon,  submitted  to  a  small! 
squadron  under  the  orders  of  Capt.  Alan  Hyde,  afterwards  Viscount  Gardner,  and 
a  detachment  of  soldiers  commanded  by  Colonel  James  Stuart.  The  spices  and 
merchandize  found  in  the  warehouses  -vere  estimated  at  25  lacks  of  rupees,  or 
upwards  of  300,0001.  sterling. 


ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH.  11 

received  intelligence  that  a  hostile  fleet  was  off  the  coast ;  but 
owing  to  the  violence  of  the  weather,  it  was  not  until  the  6th 
that  he  could  go  in  quest  of  them. 

"  On  getting  under  weigh,"  says  Sir  George,  in  his  official 
despatch,  "  an  officer  from  the  shore  came  on  board,  to  in- 
form me,  that  a  number  of  ships  had  been  seen  the  preceding 
night  in  the  offing,  near  False  Bay :  I  then  resolved  to  steer 
to  the  south-west,  in  expectation  of  their  having  taken  that 
course. 

"  The  squadron  continued  cruising  in  the  most  tempestu- 
ous weather  I  have  ever  experienced,  which  damaged  many 
of  the  ships,  and  at  one  time  the  Ruby  had  five  feet  water  in 
her  hold. 

*'  On  the  12th  I  veturned,  with  a  fresh  breeze  blowing  from 
the  south-east;  and  upon  anchoring  in  Simon's  Bay,  the 
master  attendant  came  off  with  the  information,  that  the  ships 
seen,  consisting  of  nine  sail,  had  put  into  Saldanha  Bay  on 
the  6th,  the  same  day  on  which  I  had  proceeded  to  sea ;  that 
they  remained  there  by  the  last  advice,  and  that  four  ships 
had  been  despatched  in  quest  of  me,  to  communicate  this  wel- 
come intelligence. 

"  I  immediately  made  the  signal  to  sail,  but  the  Crescent 
had  got  ashore ;  the  wind  blew  strong,  and  increased  the  fol- 
lowing day  to  a  perfect  tempest,  in  which  the  Tremendous 
parted  two  cables,  drove,  and  was  in  great  danger  of  being 
lost:  so  that,  notwithstanding  every  exertion,  and  the  most 
anxious  moments  of  my  life,  we  could  not  get  out  till 
the  15th." 

On  the  16th,  at  sunset,  the  Vice- Admiral  arrived  off  Sal- 
danha Bay,  when  the  enemy's  squadron  were  descried,  con- 
sisting of  two  ships  of  66  guns  each,  one  of  54-,  five  frigates, 
.and  sloops,  and  one  store-ship.  Sir  George,  seeing  the 
inferiority  of  their  force  in  point  of  numbers,  came  to  anchor 
within  gun-shot  of  them,  and  sent  an  officer  to  the  Dutch 
commander,  with  a  request,  that,  to  avoid  the  effusion  of  hu- 
man blood,  he  would  surrender  to  the  British  fleet :  intimat- 
ing, at  the  same  time,  that  resistance  to  a  force  so  superior 


ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH. 

must  expose  his  ships  to  certain  destruction.  The  Dutch 
Admiral,  Lucas,  perceiving  that  it  was  impossible  to  escape, 
and  that  opposition  would  be  of  no  avail,  presented  terms  of 
capitulation ;  all  of  which  were  accepted  by  Sir  George  K. 
Elphinstone,  excepting  the  second,  wherein  the  Dutch  com- 
mander required  two  frigates  to  be  appointed  cartels,  to  con- 
vey himself,  officers,  and  men  to  Holland.  This  was  refused, 
in  consequence  of  the  cartel  ships  which  had  been  sent  from 
Toulon  and  various  other  places,  under  similar  circumstances, 
having  been  detained,  and  their  crews  imprisoned,  contrary  to 
the  laws  and  usage  of  war,  and  general  good  faith  of  nations. 
On  the  18th,  the  whole  of  the  Dutch  ships  were  taken  pos- 
session of  by  the  British. 

After  the  completion  of  these  highly  important  and  valuable 
services,  Sir  George  sailed  for  Europe,  and  arrived  at  Spit- 
head,  Jan.  3.  1797.  On  the  7th  March  following,  he  was 
raised  to  the  dignity  of  a  Baron  of  the  kingdom  of  Ireland, 
by  the  title  of  Baron  Keith  of  Stonehaven  Marischal.  In 
the  month  of  May,  the  same  year,  he  superintended  the  naval 
preparations  at  Sheerness  against  the  mutineers,  who  at  that 
time  unhappily  held  the  command  of  several  ships  of  war  at 
the  Nore,  and  had  committed  various  acts  of  insubordination 
and  outrage.  This  storm  being  dispelled,  his  Lordship  for 
a  short  time  commanded  a  detachment  of  the  Channel  Fleet. 
He  afterwards  proceeded,,  in  the  Foudroyant,  of  80  guns,  to 
the  Mediterranean  station,  as  second  in  command,  under  the 
Earl  of  St.  Vincent,  whom  he  joined  at  Gibraltar  in  De- 
cember 1798.  On  the  14th  of  Feb.  1799,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  Vice- Admiral  of  the  Red, 

The  Commander-in-Chief  being  seriously  indisposed,  gave 
charge  of  the  fleet  off  Cadiz  to  Lord  Keith,  and  our  gallant 
officer  remained  employed  in  the  blockade  of  the  Spanish 
fleet,  consisting  of  twenty-two  ships  of  the  line,  until  the  4th 
May  1799,  when  he  discovered  the  Brest  fleet,  consisting  of 
twenty-four  sail  of  the  line  and  nine  smaller  vessels,  which  had 
escaped  the  vigilance  of  Lord  Bridport,  at  some  distance  to 
windward,  steering  in  for  the  land.  The  Vice.- Admiral  did  not 


ADMIRAL    LORD   KEITH.  13 

hesitate  a  moment  what  part  to  act,  although  the  wind  at  this 
time  was  blowing  extremely  hard  right  on  the  shore :  he  in- 
stantly weighed,  stood  off,  and  undiscou raged  by  the  nume- 
rical superiority  of  the  enemy's  force  *,  offered  them  battle, 
which  they  assiduously  declined ;  neither  did  the  French  Ad- 
miral, Bruix,  persevere  in  the  attempt  to  join  his  friends  at 
Cadiz,  which  port  was  not  more  than  seven  or  eight  miles  to 
leeward.  During  the  ensuing  night  the  storm  was  so  great, 
it  was  with  much  difficulty  the  ships  could  be  kept  together. 
At  day-light  on  the  morning  of  the  5th,  only  four  sail  of  the 
enemy  were  to  be  seen,  to  which  chase  was  given,  but  without 
effect.  Lord  Keith  remained  on  his  station  until  the  9th,  when 
he  suspected,  from  not  again  getting  sight  of  the  French 
fleet,  that  it  had  passed  the  Straits.  He  first  bore  up  for,  and 
anchored  at  Gibraltar,  and  then  cruised  off  Cape  Dell  Mell. 
Having  by  this  time  learned  that  the  French  were  at  anchor 
in  Vado  Bay,  he  determined  to  attack  them  there ;  but  Earl 
St.  Vincent,  who  had  received  intelligence  that  the  Spaniards 
meditated  a  descent  on  Minorca,  immediately  dispatched  him 
to  the  relief  of  that  island.  In  the  mean  time,  the  French 
commander  reached  Carthagena,  where  he  was  soon  after 
joined  by  Admiral  Massaredo,  with  five  ships  of  112  guns 
each,  one  80,  and  eleven  seventy-fours,  together  with  the  fol- 
low ing  flag-officers,  viz.  Gravina,  Grandiilana,  Cordova,  Nava, 
and  Villavincencis. 

The  Vice-Admiral  on  this  collected  his  whole  force,  and 
proceeded  in  quest  of  the  combined  fleet ;  but  on  his  arrival 
off  Cadiz,  he  learned  from  one  of  his  cruizers,  that  they  had 
sailed  for  Brest  on  the  21st  of  July,  and,  on  his  repairing 
thither,  found  that  they  had  entered  that  port  only  five  hours 
before  !  After  this  long  and  unsuccessful  pursuit,  his  Lord- 
ship steered  for  England ;  but  his  cruise  did  not  prove  upon 
the  whole  unfortunate,  for,  on  the  19th  of  June,  a  part  of  his 
squadron,  consisting  of  the  Centaur,  Bellona,  Santa  Teresa, 


*    The  British  squadron  consisted  only  of  one  first-rate,  five  other  3-deckers, 
two  ships  of  80  guns  each,  and  seven  seventy -fours. 


14  ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH. 

and  Emeralcl,  captured  a  40  gun  ship,  a  frigate,  and  three 
small  armed  vessels^  bound  from  Jaffa  to  Toulon, 

Towards  the  latter  end  of  November  1799,  his  Lordship 
sailed  from  Plymouth  in  the  Queen  Charlotte  of  100  guns, 
to  resume  the  command  of  the  fleet  in  the  Mediterranean, 
which  had  been  resigned  to  him  on  the  second  of  June  by 
the  E.arl  of  St.  Vincent,  in  consequence  of  increasing  ill 
health-  He  arrived  at  Gibraltar  on  the  6th  December. 
The  season  for  brilliant  operations  was  in  some  degree  over 
in  that  quarter,  in  consequence  of  the  severe  losses  which  the 
enemy  had  sustained,  and  were  in  no  condition  to  repair; 
but  much  praise  was  due  to  Lord  Keith  for  the  excellent  dis- 
position of  the  force  under  his,  command,  and  the  judgment 
with  which  he  stationed  his  cruisers,  so  that  few  of  the 
enemy's  vessels  ventured  out  of  povt  without  falling  into  the 
hands  of  some  of  our  ships  of  war. 

Early  in  the  year  J80Q,  his  Lordship  proceeded  to  Malta* 
and  cruized  off  the  port  -of  La  Valetta,  to  intercept  any  suc- 
cours that  might  be  attempted  to  be  thrown  in  during  the 
blockade.  In  order  more  completely  to  ensure  success,  he 
ordered  Lord  Nelson  to  cruize  to  windward  with  three  sail  of 
the  line,  while  he  himself  remained  with  the  flag-ship  and  a 
small  squadron  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbour.  This  judicious 
arrangement  produced  the  capture  of  Le  Genereux  of  7  4 
guns,  carrying  the  flag  of  Rear- Admiral  Perree,  and  haying 
a  number  of  troops  on  board  for  the  relief  of  the  place, 
together  with  a  large  store-ship. 

On  the  7th  March,  1800,  his  Lordship  anchored  at  Leg- 
horn, for  the  purpose  of  co-operating  with  the  Austrian  army 
against  the  French,  under  the  command  of  General  Massena, 
who  at  that  time  occupied  the  city  and  territory  of  Genoa. 
On  the  1 1th  he  issued  a  proclamation,  wherein  he  signified  to 
all  neutral  powers,  that  the  ports  of  Toulon,  Marseilles,  Nice, 
and  the  coast,  of  the  Riviera,  were  in  a  state  of  blockade. 

Being  now  determined  to  seize  ou  the  island  of  Cabrera, 
then  in  possession  of  the  French,  as  a  proper  place  for  re- 
freshing his  men,  he  detached  Captain  Todd  with  the  Queen 


ADMIRAL    LORD  .KEITH.  15 

Charlotte  for  that  purpose ;  but  on  the  1 7th  of  March,  when 
between  Leghorn  and  the  island  of  Cabrera,  the  Queen 
Charlotte  was  discovered  to  be  in  flames,  and  in  the  course 
of  an  inconceivably  short  period^  upwards  of  600  gallant  rnen 
lost  their  lives,  and  one  of  the  noblest  ships  in  the  British 
navy  was  totally  destroyed.  His  Lordship  was  on  shore  at 
the  time  the  conflagration  happened ;  after  which  he  hoisted 
his  flag  in  the  Audacious,  but  subsequently  shifted  it  ,to  the 
Minotaur,  and  proceeded  in  that  ship,  with  part  of  his  fleet, 
off  Genoa ;  in  order  to  co-operate  with  the  Austrians,  who 
were  at  that  time  besieging  it,  As  there  was  little  probability 
of  being  able  to  redu.ce  the  place  by  any  other  means  than 
famine,  it  became  an  object  of  the  first  importance  to  cut  off 
all  supplies  by  sea ;  and  this  service  was  so  effectually  per- 
formed, that  in  the*  beginning  of  June  the  French  general 
was  obliged  to  capitulate,  being  reduced  to  the  greatest  ex- 
tremity tor  want  of  provisions.  This  achievement  in  our 
tiayal  annals  would  not  have  failed  to  be  estimated  as  it 
deserved,  had  not  the  disastrous  result  of  the  battle  of 
Marengo,  and  the  convention  of  Alexandria,  between  the 
Austrian  Baron  de  Melas  and  General  Buonaparte,  over- 
whelmed Europe  with  astonishment  and  dismay.  Jt  is  here 
proper  to  remark,  that  the  Austrians  never  fired  a  guu 
against  Genoa,  during  the  whole  of  the  siege,  and  that  its 
reduction  was  wholly  caused  by  famine,  which  the  vigilance 
and  severity  of  our  sea  blockade  had  occasioned.  * 

On  the  4th  of  September  following,  the  Island  of  Malta 
surrendered  to  a  detachment  of  Lord  Keith's  fleet. 

It  being  now  determined  to  strike  a  mortal  blow  at  Spain, 
orders  were  sent  from  England  for  collecting  ships  and  troops 
for  that  purpose.  Accordingly,  on  the  thirteenth  of  Septem- 
ber, Admiral  Lord  Keith  repaired  with  the  fleet  to  Gibraltar, 
and  the  transports,  with  Sir  James  Pulteney's  division  of 

*  During  the  blockade  of  Genoa,  the  city  and  mole  were  frequently  bom- 
barded by  the  British  flotilla ;  and  on  one  occasion  la  Prima,  the  principal  galley 
in  the  port,  having  on  board  two  brass  36-pounders,  30  brass  swivels,  257  men, 
and  rowing  50  oars,  was  brought  off  in  triumph. 


16  ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH. 

troops,  having  joined  the  forces  commanded  by  Sir  Ralph 
Abercrombie,  amounting  in  all  to  about  eighteen  thousand 
effective  men,  the  squadron  passed  the  Straits,  and  entered 
the  bay  of  Cadiz ;  a  city  at  that  time  visited  with  a  malady 
which  in  many  respects  resembled,  and  in  the  extent  of  its 
ravages  equalled,  the  plague.  No  sooner  had  the  detach- 
ment, consisting  of  three  eighty,  and  four  seventy-four  gun 
ships  come  to  anchor,  than  the  governor,  Don  Thomas  de 
Maria,  addressed  a  most  energetic  letter  to  the  admiral,  in 
which,  after  exposing  the  unhappy  situation  of  the  inhabitants, 
he  proceeded  to  say,  t£  I  have  too  exalted  an  opinion  of  the 
English  people,  and  of  you  in  particular,  to  think  that  you 
would  wish  to  render  our  situation  more  deplorable ;  but  if, 
in  consequence  of  the  orders  your  excellency  has  received, 
you  are  inclined  to  draw  down  upon  your  country  the  exe- 
cration of  all  nations,  and  to  cover  yourself  with  disgrace  in 
the  eyes  of  the  whole  universe,  by  oppressing  the  unfortunate, 
and  attacking  those  who  are  supposed  to  be  incapable  of 
defence,  I  declare  to  you  that  the  garrison  under  my  orders,1 
accustomed  to  behold  death  with  a  serene  countenance,  and 
to  brave  dangers  much  greater  than  all  the  perils  of  waiy 
know  how  to  make  a  resistance  which  shall  not  terminate 
but  with  their  entire  destruction.  I  hope  that  the  answer  of 
your  excellency  will  inform  me,  whether  I  am  to  speak  the 
language  of  consolation  to  the  unfortunate  inhabitants,  or 
whether  I  am  to  rouse  them  to  indignation  and  vengeance." 

A  regular  correspondence  ensued,  and  squally  weather 
coming  on,  the  admiral  and  general  thought  it  expedient  to 
depart  without  effecting  a  descent ;  although  the  plan  of 
debarkation  had  been  already  concluded  upon,  and  orders  for 
it  issued. 

Soon  after  this  he  eyes  of  England,  and  of  continental 
Europe,  were  turned  towards  Egypt,  while  the  French  army 
there,  in  consequence  of  its  abandonment  by  Bounaparte, 
was  reduced  to  such  a  critical  situation,  that  Kleber  at  length 
entered  into  a  treaty  with  Sir  Sidney  Smith,  arid  actually 
consented  to  abandon  that  country  for  ever.  Lord  Keith, 


ADMIRAL   LORD    KEITH.  17 

however,  no  sooner  received  information  of  that  event,  than 
he  frankly  informed  the  French  commander  in  chief  that  he 
could  not  accede  to  any  capitulation,  unless  the  troops 
would  lay  down  their  arms,  and  surrender  prisoners;  of  war. 
This  declaration  was  immediately  published  in  the  orders 
issued  to,  the  French  troops ;  and,  taking  advantage  of  their 
sudden  enthusiasm,  the  Turks  were  once  more  attacked,  and 
beaten ;  so  that  when  instructions  arrived  to  accede  to  the 
convention  of  El  Arisen,  the  enemy,  flushed  with  new  vic- 
tories, declined  agreeing  to  that  which  they  would  before 
have  joyfully  consented  to  receive  as  a  favour. 

At  length  it  was  determined  to  wrest  Egypt  from  the  hands 
of  the  French,  by  force ;  and  while  Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie 
was.  nominated  to  the  command  of  the  expedition  by  land,. 
L.ord  Keith  was  entrusted  with  the  fleet  which  was  assembled 
for  that  purpose..  The  armament  destined  for  this  expedition 
accordingly  repaired  to  Marmoriee,  to  wait  for  the  coroperation 
of  the  Turks ;.  and  having  sailed  from  that  capacious,  port  on. 
|he  23d  of  Feb.  18.01,  anchored  in  the  bay  of  Aboujdr  on 
the  22d  of  March,  near  the  very  spot,  on  w.hich  the  me- 
mprable  battle  of  the  Nile  had  been  fought..  The  fpllpwiyig 
is  a  l.ist  of  the  fleet  employed,  upon  this  occasion.:, 

£AdmiraI'L,ord  Keith. 
H.   Fbudroyant:       -     80.  •<  John  Elphinstone,  Captain  of  tfte 

(     fleet. 
0     . .  cn  /  Capt.  J.  C.  Searle* 

Kt  Capt.  the  Hon.  A.  Cochrane. 

3.  Tigre     •,     -     -      $0..    Capt.  Sir  W.  Sidney  Smitlk 

f  Rear  Admiral  Sir  Richard|Bick- 

4.  Swiftsu.re     -     -      74.  <      erton,  Bart. 

(Capt.  B.  HallpweJJl. 

5.  Kent     •»•».*     74.     Capt.  W.  Hope.. 

6.  Minotaur     •«     -      74.     Capt.  T.  Lpuisr 

7-  Northumberland      74»     Capt.  George  MJartin. 
8.  Flora     -     -     -      36.     Capt,  B,  G.  Middieton(, 

In    addition    to    these    there    were   two   sixty-fours,   two 
fifties,   five  forty-fours,   two   thirty  ^eights,    two  thirty-sixes, 
VOL.  vni.  C 


18  ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH. 

four  thirty-twos,  and  six  twenty-eights,  armed  en  flute ; 
together  with  two  bomb-vessels,  transports,  Turkish  gun- 
boats and  kiacks,  &c. 

The  army,  to  the  amount  of  sixteen  thousand  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  together  with  a  battalion  of  one  thousand  sea- 
men under  Sir  Sidney  Smith,  could  not  be  landed  as  soon  as 
intended,  on  account  of  a  heavy  swell;  but  the  most  effec- 
tual means  were  taken  for  that  purpose ;  and  not  only  were 
written  orders  issued,  but  a  coloured  plan  of  the  debarkation, 
such  as  had  been  before  circulated  at  Cadiz,  exactly  speci- 
fying the  number  and  stations  of  the  vessels  intended  to  con- 
vey and  cover  the  troops,  was  distributed. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  March, 
the  first  division  began  to  enter  the  boats  designed  to  receive 
them ;  at  three,  signal  rockets  were  fired,  in  consequence  of 
which  they  all  rendezvoused  opposite  the  Mendovi,  an  armed 
vessel,  anchored  on  purpose,  in  a  central  position  near  the 
beach.  At  nine,  they  advanced  towards  the  shore,  preserving 
the  form  of  a  line  as  much  as  possible,  under  the  direction  of 
the  Hon.  Capt.  Cochrane,  and  seconded  by  the  Captains 
Stevenson,  Scott,  Larmour,  Apthorp,  and  Harrison  ;  with 
both  flanks  protected  by  cutters,  gun-boats,  and  armed 
launches ;  while  the  Tartarus  and  Fury  bomb-ketches  were 
employed  to  throw  shells,  and  several  vessels  of  a  small 
draught  of  water  presented  their  broadsides  so  as  to  protect 
and  facilitate  this  very  important  and  critical  operation. 

Opposed  to  these  was  a  large  body  of  troops,  familiar  with 
the  country,  flushed  with  recent  successes,  and  confident  of 
victory.  Cannon  and  mortar  batteries  were  placed  on  the 
heights,  and  the  castle  of  Aboukir  alone  threatened  destruc- 
tion to  the  assailants;  while  the  sand-hills  still  nearer  to  the 
water's  edge  were  lined  with  musquetry,  and  parties  of  infantry 
were  kept  in  readiness  to  advance  at  the  same  time  that  bodies 
of  horse  were  prepared  to  charge  the  invaders. 

Notwithstanding  the  boats  were  exposed  to  an  amphi- 
theatre of  fire,  and  an  incessant  discharge  was  kept  up  of 
shot,  shells,  and  grape,  yet  they  rowed  briskly  ashore ;  and, 


ADMIRAL    LORD   KEITH.  19 

a  landing  being  effected,  the   adjoining  hill  was  scaled,  and 
seven  pieces  of  artillery  were  seized. 

It  is  not  a  little  remarkable,  that,  during  the  whole  of  this 
gallant  and  very  perilous  operation,  not  a  single  officer  be- 
longing to  the  navy  was  killed,  and  only  seven  officers  and 
seventy-three  men  were  wounded.  The  battalion  of  sailors 
continued  to  be  of  great  service  while  on  shore ;  and  the 
capture,  both  of  Cairo  and  of  Alexandria,  depended  not  a  little 
on  the  co-operation  of  the  navy.  Their  services  were  thus 
noticed  in  the  dispatches  of  Lord  Hutchinson,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded to  the  command  of  the  army  on  the  death  of  the 
heroic  Abercrombie.  "  During  the  course  of  the  long  ser- 
vice on  which  we  have  been  engaged.  Lord  Keith  has,  at  all 
times,  given  me  the  most  able  assistance  and  counsel.  The 
labour  and  fatigue  of  the  navy  have  been  continued  and  ex- 
cessive; it  has  not  been  of  one  day  or  of  one  week,  but  for 
months  together.  In  the  bay  of  Aboukir,  on  the  New 
Inundation,  and  on  the  Nile,  for  160  miles,  they  have  been 
employed  without  intermission ;  and  have  submitted  to  many 
privations,  with  a  cheerfulness  and  patience  highly  creditable 
to  them,  and  advantageous  to  the  public  service."  In  a 
subsequent  dispatch,  the  General  recurs  to  the  "  many  ob- 
ligations" that  he  was  under  to  Lord  Keith. 

On  the  1st  of  Jan.  1801,  a  general  promotion  took  place, 
in  honour  of  the  union  between  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
and  on  that  occasion  Lord  Keith  was  advanced  t*o  the  rank 
of  Admiral  of  the  Blue.  When  the  news  arrived  of  the  glo- 
rious termination  of  the  operations  in  Egypt,  his  Lordship 
received  the  thanks  of  both  houses  of  Parliament*  and  on  the 
5th  Dec.  1801,  was  created  a  Baron  of  the  United  Kingdom, 
by  the  title  of  Baron  Keith,  of  Banheath,  County  of  Dum- 
barton. He  was  also  presented  by  the  Corporation  of  Lon- 
don with  the  freedom  of  that  city  in  a  gold  box,  together  with 
a  sword  of  the  value  of  one  hundred  guineas;  and  the  grand 
Seignor  conferred  on  him  the  Order  of  the  Crescent,  which 
he  established  to  perpetuate  the  memory  o*'  the  services  ren- 
dered to  the  Ottoman  Empire  by  the  British  forces. 

c  2 


20  ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH. 

Previously  to  this,  Lord  Keith  had  obtained  a  patent  as 
Chamberlain,  Secretary,  and  Keeper  of  the  Signet  to  His 
Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales,  as  Great  Steward  of 
Scotland ;  in  addition  to  which  he  had  become  one  of  the 
six  state  counsellors  for  the  same. 

At  the  peace  of  1802,  Lord  Keith  returned  to  England, 
and  struck  his  flag;  but  he  was  not  suffered  to  remain  long 
unemployed.  On  the  re-commencement  of  hostilities,  in 
1 803,  he  was  appointed  Commander-in-Chief  of  all  his  Ma- 
jesty's ships  employed  in  the  North  Sea,  ajid  in  the  English 
Channel,  as  far  to  the  westward  as  Sel sea-Bill.  The  nature 
of  this  extensive  and  complicated  command,  consisting  at  one 
time  of  upwards  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  pennants,  required 
that  his  Lordship  should  be  established  on  shore,  at  some 
convenient  station  for  maintaining  his  correspondence  with 
the  Admiralty  Board,  and  with  the  commanding  .officers  re- 
spectively employed  under  his  orders,  in  the  Downs,  at 
Dungeness,  Sheerness, 'Yarmouth,  Leith,  and  upon  the  .dif- 
ferent stations*  within  the  limits  of  his  flag ;  as  well  as  for  the 
purpose  of  regulating  the  distribution  and  stations  of  the 
block-ships,  which  it  had  been  judged  necessary  to  employ 
for  the  defence  of  the  entrance  to  the  River  Thames ;  in  con- 
sequence of  which  he  took  up  his  residence  at  East  Cliff,  near 
Ramsgate,  a  beautiful  marine  villa,  built  by  the  late  Bond 
Hopkins ;  occasionally  going  on  board  his  flag  ship  for  the 
purpose  of  reconnoitring  the  enemy's  coast,  and  directing  the 
attacks  which  it  was  thought  proper  to  make  on  the  flotilla 
destined  for  the  invasion  of  England. 

In  the  beginning  of  October  1803,  his  Lordship  made  an 
experiment  on  a  small  scale,  with  a  new  mode  of  attack  on 
the  gun-vessels  in  Boulogne,  which,  to  a  certain  degree,  suc- 
ceeded, and  without  any  loss  being  sustained  on  our  part. 

His  Lordship  was,  on  the  9th  of  Nov.  1805,  raised  to  the 
rank  of  Admiral  of  the  White ;  and  continued  to  hold  the 
extensive  and  important  command  which  we  have  described 
until  the  month  of  May,  1807,  when  the  Admiralty  having 
determined  to  divide  his  command  into  three  separate  ones, 


ADMIRAL    LORD    KEITH.  21 

he  struck  his  flag.  In  1812,  his  Lordship  succeeded  the  late 
Sir  Charles  Cotton,  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Channel 
Fleet.  On  the  14th  May  1814,  he  was  created  a  Viscount 
of  the  united  kingdom.  During  the  period  of  the  second 
invasion  of  France  by  the  allied  powers,  the  noble  Admiral 
commanded  in  the  Channel,  and  by  the  judicious  arrange- 
ment of  his  cruisers,  secured  the  person  of  Napoleon  Buona- 
parte, who  acknowledged  that  an  escape  by  sea  was  rendered 
impossible  —  an  event  which  secured  the  peace  and  tranquil- 
lity of  Europe. 

On  the  23d  May  1815,  Lord  Keith  laid  the  first  stone  of 
Southwark  Bridge. 

In  1822  his  Lordship  was  graciously  permitted  by  his 
Majesty  to  accept  t{ie  Grand  Cross  of  the  Royal  Sardinian 
Order  of  St.  Maurice  and  Lazare,  for  services  rendered  at 
Genoa  in  1809. 

His  Lordship  died,  at  Tulliallan  house,  on  Monday  the 
10th  of  March  1823,  in  the  77th  year  of  his  age. 

Lard  Keith  married,  first,  April  9.  1787,  Jane,  daughter 
and  sole  heiress  of  William  Mercer,  of  Aldie,  co.  Perth, 
Esq.,  and  by  her  (who  died  Dec.  12.  1789,)  had1  issue  an 
only  child,  Margaret-Mercer  Elphinstone,  on  whom  the 
English  Barony  of  Keith  was  settled  in  remainder  on 
failure  of  his  Lordship's  issue  male.  He  married,  secondly, 
January  10.  1808,  Hester-Maria,  eldest  daughter  and  co- 
heiress of  Henry  Thrale,  of  Streatham,  co.  Surrey,  Esq.  the 
intimate  friend  of  Dr.  Johnson,  and  M.  P.  for  Southwark,  in 
1768,  and  1775.  By  this  lady  the  Viscount  had  issue, 
Georgiana- Augusta- Henrietta,  born  Dec.  12.  1809. 

His  Lordship's  eldest  daughter  married  in  1817,  to  Count 
Flahault,  who  served  as  Aid-de-Camp  to  Buonaparte  at  th$ 
battle  of  Waterloo. 


c  * 


No.  II. 
JOHN  PHILIP  KEMBLE,  ESQ. 

OF  the  fame  bestowed  by  the  stage  on  its  votaries,  it  may 
more  truly  be  said  than  of  any  other,  that  it  is  "  a  fancied 
life  in  other's  breath."  It  exists  principally  in  the  recollec- 
tion of  individuals,  and  can  never  be  satisfactorily  recorded. 
The  poet  and  the  painter  weave  garlands  for  themselves,  that 
continue  to  bloom  in  beauty  when  they  are  no  more ;  but  the 
chaplet  of  the  actor,  if  it  does  not  entirely  perish  with  him, 
inevitably  loses  all  the  freshness  and  brilliance  of  its  hues. 
It  is  not  in  language  to  convey  an  adequate  notion  of  those 
powers,  which,  when  witnessed,  exalt  the  mind  to  gaiety,  or 
sink  it  into  anguish,  extort  laughter  from  the  most  saturnine, 
draw  tears  from  the  sternest  eye,  and  irresistibly  mould  our 
feelings  into  whatever  shape  they  please. 

JOHN  PHILIP  KEMBLE  was  born  at  Prescot,  in  Lanca- 
shire, on  the  1st  of  Feb.  1757.  At  the  time  of  his  birth,  his 
father,  Mr.  Roger  Kemble,  was  manager  of  a  company  of 
comedians,  who  had  a  regular  routine  of  provincial  per- 
formances. On  the  12th  of  Feb.  1767,  when  only  ten 
years  of  age,  young  Kemble  played,  in  his  father's  company 
at  Worcester,  the  part  of  th6  Duke  of  York,  in  the  tragedy 
of  King  Charles  the  First.  He  soon  after,  however,  went  to 
a  Roman  Catholic  seminary  at  Sedgeley  park  in  Stafford- 
shire; where  he  gave  proofs  of  a  great  taste  for  literature, 
On  that  account  he  was,  in  the  year  1770,  sent  by  his  father 
to  the  University  of  Douay,  in  order  to  qualify  him  for  one 
of  the  learned  professions.  During  his  residence  there,  he 
distinguished  himself  as  a  scholar,  and  his  elocutionary 
powers  developed  themselves  in  a  very  striking  manner. 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  #5 

Having  finished  his  youthful  studies,  he  returned  to  Eng- 
land before  he  was  twenty ;  and  entertaining  an  unconquer- 
able predilection  for  the  boards,  he  made  that  which  may  be 
considered  his  actual  debut,  in  Chamberlain's  company,  at 
Wolverhampton,  in  the  character  of  Theodosius,  in  the 
Force  of  Love  ;  but  without  much  success.  His  second  ap- 
pearance was  at  the  same  place,  in  the  character  of  Bajazet ; 
in  which  he  produced  a  stronger  impression,  and  gave  a, 
decided  promise  of  those  talents  which  afterwards  raised  him 
to  unrivalled  eminence. 

Mr.  Kemble  next  acted  at  Worcester  ;  and  afterwards  with 
Mr.  Younger,  at  the  Theatres  Royal  in  Manchester  and 
Liverpool.  From  that  time  he  rapidly  improved  in  his  pro- 
fession. At  length  fre  joined  that  incomparable  old  man,  Tate 
Wilkinson,  at  York ;  who  was  delighted  with  him. 

While  at  York,  Mr.  Kemble  tried  a  new  species  of  enter- 
tainment in  the  theatre  of  that  city,  consisting  of  a  repetition 
of  the  most  beautiful  odes  from  Mason,  Gray,  and  Collins; 
and  of  the  tales  of  Le  Fevre  and  Maria,  from  Sterne ;  with 
other  pieces  in  prose  and  verse;  and  in  this  novel  and 
hazardous  undertaking  he  met  with  such  approbation,  that 
the  country  has  ever  since  been  over-run  by  crowds  of  re* 
citers,  who  want  nothing  but  his  talents  to  be  as  successful  as 
their  original. 

About  this  time,  Mr.  Wilkinson,  having  taken  the  Edin- 
burgh theatre,  Mr.  Kemble  accompanied  him  to  "  the  modern 
Athens ;"  and  established  his  reputation  there,  among  men  of 
letters,  by  the  composition  and  delivery  of  a  lecture  on 
sacred  and  profane  oratory,  in  which  he  proved  himself  an 
able  critic,  and  an  eloquent  declaimer. 

In  1782  he  went  to  Dublin,  and  joined  the  company  in 
Smock  Alley,  then  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Daly. 
Here  he  made  his  first  appearance  in  Hamlet,  and  greatly 
distinguished  himself.  He  also  performed  the  Count  de 
Narbonne,  in  Jephson's  tragedy  of  that  name,  which  had  an 
extraordinary  run  ;  and  the  author  expressed,  in  the  strongest 
manner,  his  grateful  sense  of  Mr.  Kemble's  exertions. 

c  4 


24  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

But  the  wanderings  of  a  provincial  actor  of  ambition  are 
only  spiral  movements  round  a  centre,  to  which  they  finally 
tend.  A  London  audience  is  constantly  looked  forward  to  as 
the  best  judge,  and  the  most  liberal  rewarder  of  his  deserts. 
Having  remained  in  Dublin  for  two  seasons,  Mr.  Kemble 
quitted  it  in  1783,  and  repaired  to  London. 

On  the  30th  of  Sept  1783,  he  appeared  in  Hamlet,  on  the 
boards  of  Drury  Lane,  and  at  once  established  himself  with 
the  town;  although,  from  the  circumstance  of  Mr,  Smith's 
being  then  m  possession  of  the  chief  tragic  parts,  Mr.  Kemble 
was  prevented  from  displaying  the  full  extent  of  his  abilities 
until  the  year  1788;  when,  on  Mr.  Smith's  retirement,  he 
was  left  in  full  possession  of  the  tragic  throne. 

In  17S7»  Mr.  Kemble  formed  a  happy  matrimonial  alliance 
with  Mrs,  Brereton,  daughter  of  Mr.  Hopkins,  the  prompter 
of  Drury  Lane  theatre.  At  the  time  that  Mr.  Kemble  mar- 
ried this  lady*  it  was  asserted  that  he  wedded  suddenly,  at  the 
instigation  of  a  nobleman- high  in  rank  and  importance,  Lord 
North,  whose  daughter  had  become  ardently  enamoured  of 
him.  It  was  said  that  the  young  lady's  attachment  could  be 
checked  only  by  its  being  thus  rendered  hopeless ;  and  that, 
to  insure  Mr.  Kemble's  compliance  with  Lord  North's  wishes, 
he  was  promised  by  his  lordship  the  sum  of  4000/.,  as  a  mar- 
riage portion.  To  darken  the  affair,  it  was  added,  that  when 
the  marriage  liad  been  solemnized,  the  money  was  withheld. 
In  all  these  reports  there  was  not  a  syllable  of  truth.  Mr. 
Kemble's  marriage  was  one  of  real  affection ;  and  those  who 
knew  his  mind  will  readily  acquit  him  of  being  capable  of  an 
act  so  indelicate,  so  base,  as  that  which  black-tongUed  rumour 
would  attribute  to  him.  The  imputation  naturally  excited 
much  indignation  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Kemble.  On  meeting 
with  it  in  a  memoir  of  himself,  he  wrote  with  his  pencil  in  the 
margin,  "  A  LJE  !" 

On  the  secession  of  Mr.  King,  in  1788,  Mr.  Kemble  be- 
came manager  of  Drury  Lane  theatre.  In  this  office,  which 
he  held,  with  the  intervention  of  a  short  period,  until  1801, 
Jieiamply justified  the  disternment  that  had  placed  him  in  it, 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  25 

by  the  many  material  improvements  which  he  made  in  the 
general  conduct  of  the  preparatory  business  of  the  stage,  in  the 
regular  decorum  of  representation,  in  the  impartial  appoint- 
ment of  performers  to  parts  suited  to  their  real  abilities, 
and  in  giving  to  all  characters  their  true  and  appropriate 
costume.  Macbeth  no  longer  sported  an  English  general's 
uniform  ;  men  of  centuries  ago  no  longer  figured  in  the  stiff 
court  dresses  of  our  own  time ;  and 

"  Gate's  full  wig,  flowered  gown,  and  lackered  chair," 
gave  way  to  the  crop,  the  toga,  and  the  couch.  His  group- 
ings, his  processions,  &c.  while  they  were  in  the  highest 
degree  conducive  to  theatrical  effect,  were  yet  so  chaste  and 
free  from  glare,  that  they  appeared  rather  historical  than 
dramatic,  and  might  have  been  safely  transferred  by  the  artist 
to  the  canvass,  almost  without  alteration.  The  departments 
of  the  painter  and  the  machinist  were  likewise  objects  of  his 
constant  attention ;  and  to  his  study  and  exertions  the  drama 
is  indebted  for  the  present  propriety  and  magnificence  of  its 
scenery  and  decorations. 

During  the  time  of  Mr.  Kemble's  management,  he  did  not 
confine  himself  merely  to  the  duties  of  his  situation,  but  added 
very  considerably  to  the  stock  of  dramatic  pieces,  by  transla- 
tions of  foreign,  and  revisions  of  obsolete  plays;  a  list  of 
which  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  this  memoir. 

Released  in  1801  from  the  fatigues  of  management,  Mr. 
Kemble  devoted  the  year  1802  to  the  pleasures  of  travel. 
Having  for  his  main  object  the  improvement  of  the  histrionic 
art,  he  visited  the  cities  of  Paris  and  Madrid,  and  studied  the 
practice  of  his  theatrical  brethren  in  both  those  capitals. 
During  his  residence  abroad,  he  received  the  most  flattering 
marks  of  attention  and  respect  from  individuals  and  societies 
of  literary  character;  and  formed  an  acquaintance  with  Talma, 
which  afterwards  ripened  into  the  closest  intimacy.  The  fol- 
lowing extract  from  a  Parisian  journal  of  that  day  will  shew 
the  general  interest  he  excited  : 

"  Mr.  Kernble,  the  celebrated  actor  of  London,  whose 
arrival  at  Paris  has  been  announced  by  the  papers,  possesses 
a  fine  figure,  and  appears  to  be  about  forty  years  of  age. 


26  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

His  hair  is  dark,  his  features  are  strongly  marked,  and  he  has 
a  physiognomy  truly  tragic.  He  understands,  and  speaks 
with  accuracy,  the  French  language.  In  company  he  appears 
thoughtful  and  reserved.  His  manners,  however,  are  very 
distinguished ;  and  he  has  in  his  looks,  when  addressed,  an 
expression  of  courtesy,  that  affords  us  the  best  idea  of  his 
education.  Mr.  Kemble  is  well  informed,  and  has  the  repu- 
tation of  being  a  good  grammarian.  The  Comedie  Francaise 
has  received  him  with  all  the  respect  due  to  the  Le  Kaim  of 
England  ;  they  have  already  given  him  a  splendid  dinner,  and 
mean  to  invite  him  to  a  still  more  brilliant  souper.  Talma,  to 
whom  he  had  letters  of  recommendation,  does  the  honours  of 
Paris ;  they  visit  together  our  finest  works,  and  appear  to  be 
already  united  by  the  most  friendly  ties." 

In  1803,  Mr.  Kemble  returned  to  England,  and  having  pur- 
chased a  sixth  share  of  the  property  in  Covent  Garden  theatre, 
for  which  he  gave  five-and- twenty  thousand  pounds,  he  became 
the  manager,  in  the  room  of  Mr.  Lewis,  who  resigned ;  and 
appeared  for  the  first  time  on  those  boards,  in  the  character 
of  Hamlet,  on  the  24th  of  September.  It  is  unnecessary  to 
say,  that  he  was  rapturously  received.  During  the  next  five 
years,  he  revived  several  of  Shakspeare's  plays,  and  made 
Covent  Garden  classic  ground  ;  when,  unhappily,  on  the 
20th  of  Sept.  1808,  the  destructive  fire  took  place,  which  in 
less  than  three  hours  consumed  the  whole  interior  of  the 
building,  involving  the  proprietors  in  utter  ruin.  By  this 
deplorable  catastrophe,  in  addition  to  the  injury  to  property, 
humanity  had  to  lament  the  loss  of  more  than  twenty  lives, 
from  the  falling  in  of  the  building  near  the  piazza  door. 

On  this  occasion,  the  late  Duke  of  Northumberland  in- 
dulged in  an  act  of  liberality  and  kindness,  perhaps  as  un- 
precedented as  it  was  honourable.  The  circumstances  redound 
equally  to  Mr.  Kemble's  good  feeling  and  to  his  Grace's  ex- 
cellence of  heart.  So  long  back  as  when  at  the  York  theatre, 
Mr.  Kemble  was  in  need  of  a  few  soldiers  to  enrich  certain 
processions,  and  he  therefore  applied  to  an  officer  of  a  regi- 
ment stationed  in  that  city,  for  permission  to  engage  some  of 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  27 

the  men.     The  officer  rudely  refused,  observing,  that  his  men 
had  better  things  to  learn  than  the  duties  of  a  theatre.       Mr. 
Kemble,  repulsed,  but  not  vanquished,  renewed  his  application 
to  the  then  Earl  Percy,  who  had  higher  authority  ;  and  his 
lordship  immediately  granted  the  permission  required,  and 
indeed  directed  that  the  men  should  assist  Mr.  Kemble  in  any 
way  in  which  he  could  render  them  serviceable.    Several  years 
passed,  the  York  days  were  over,  and  Mr.  Kemble  had  be- 
come the  proud  favourite  of  London,    when,  one  morning; 
Dr.  Raine,  the  head  master  of  the  Charter  House,  called  upon 
him,  and  stated,  that  he  was  commissioned  to  request,  on  the 
behalf  of  a  nobleman,  Mr.  Kemble's  assistance  in  the  educa- 
tion of  his  son.     Mr.  Kemble  replied,  that  he  was  compelled, 
from  want  of  leisure,  and  on  other  accounts,  to  decline  all  such 
occupation ;  and  therefore,  that  much  as  he  regretted  it,  he 
was   under  the   necessity  of  refusing   the  application  of  his 
friend.    Dr.  Raine  observed,  as  he  was  leaving  the  room,  that 
he  lamented   the  refusal,  as  the  Duke  of  Northumberland 
would  be  greatly  disappointed.     On  hearing  the  name  of  the 
nobleman,  Mr.  Kemble  desired  the  Doctor  to  stay,  and  imme- 
diately said,  "  The  Duke  has  a  right  to  command  me."     Ac- 
cordingly, he  attended  the  present  Duke  for  some  time,  giving 
him  lessons  on  elocution.     But  no  satisfactory  return  for  his 
superintendance  was  made,  or  even  seemed  to  be  contemplated 
by  the  noble  family.     Time  went  on.     The  day  of  kindness 
came.      On  the  very  morning  upon  which  the  theatre   was 
burnt  down,  his  Grace  wrote  to  Mr.  Kemble,  and  proffered 
him  the   loan  of  10,000/.    upon  his    personal  security,  if  it 
would  be  a  convenience  to  him.      It  was  a  convenience:  Mr, 
Kemble  accepted  the  offer  with  readiness  and  gratitude,  and 
paid  the  interest,  as  the  quarters  became  due,  to  the  steward. 
On  the  day,  however,  upon  which  the  first  stone  of  the  new 
Covent  Garden  theatre  was  laid,  the  Duke  wrote  again  to 
Mr.  Kemble,  and,  observing  in  his  letter,  that  he  had   no 
doubt  that  day  was  one  of  the  proudest  of  Mr.  Kemble's  life, 
and  that  his  Grace  was  anxious  to  make  it  one  of  the  happiest, 
inclosed  the  cancelled  bond  !     Did  the  name  of  Percy  ever 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

adorn  a  more  princely  deed  ?  One  grand,  unaffected,  quiet 
act  of  this  nature  speaks  more  for  a  man  than  a  thousand 
subscriptions  to  public  charities ;  the  object  of  which  is  too 
frequently  a  mere  display  of  generosity.  At  a  subsequent 
period  his  Grace  delicately  and  finely  remarked  that  Mr. 
Kemble  had  taught  him  how  to  return  an  act  of  kindness.  — 
In  the  dedication  to  an  essay  on  Macbeth  and  Richard,  pub- 
lished in  1817,  Mr.  Kemble  thus  alludes  to  the  Duke  of 
Northumberland's  conduct : 

"  To  the  Duke  of  Northumberland. 

"  MY  LORD  DUKE,  —  Be  pleased  to  accept  this  tribute  of 
my  gratitude:  that  it  is  the  constant  character  of  your 
Grace's  nature,  to  conceal  the  benefits  it  confers,  I  well  know; 
and  I  am  fearful  lest  this  offering  should  offend,  where  I  most 
anxiously  wish  it  to  be  received  with  favour ;  yet,  when  a 
whole  happy  tenantry  are  voting  public  monuments,  to  per- 
petuate the  remembrance  of  your  Grace's  paternal  benevo- 
lence to  them,  I  hope,  my  Lord,  that  I  am  not  any  longer 
forbidden  openly  to  acknowledge  my  own  great  obligations 
to  your  munificence. 

"  Your  Grace  has  thought  me  worthy  of  your  bountiful 
patronage;  and  I  may  not  presume  to  say  how  little  I 
deserve  it.  I  have,  &c. 

"JoHN  PHILIP  KEMBLE." 

The  foundation-stone  of  the  new  theatre  was  laid  by  his 
present  Majesty,  then  Prince  of  Wales,  in  person,  as  Grand 
Master  of  the  Freemasons  of  Great  Britain,  attended  by  the 
Grand  Lodge  in  form.  Mr.  Smirke  jim.  was  the  architect, 
and  Mr.  Copeland  the  builder.  Under  their  superintendance 
the  present  theatre  rose  like  magic  on  the  ruins  of  the  old  ; 
being  entirely  completed  in  the  short  space  of  nine  months. 
It  was  opened  on  the  18th  of  September  1809,  with  Mac- 
beth. In  order,  in  some  degree,  to  repair  the  enormous  loss 
which  the  proprietors  had  sustained  from  their  recent  eala- 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  29 

mity,  and  from  the  existing  high  price  of  building  materials, 
they  augmented  the  number  of  private  boxes,  and  increased 
the  prices  of  admission  ;  —  to  the  pit,  from  three  shillings  and 
sixpence  to  four  shillings;  to  the  boxes,  from  six  to  seven 
shillings.  The  consequence  was  the  celebrated  O,  P,  riot ; 
so  named  from  the  initials  of  the  words  "  Old  Prices,"  For 
sixty  nights  the  British  public  danced  rigadoons  on  the 
benches  of  the  pit,  and  behaved  with  all  the  well-known 
turbulence  of  John  Bull  when  he  is  incensed.  Not  a  word 
could  be  heard  from  the  rise  to  the  fall  of  the  curtain. 
Every  hat  was  lettered  with  O.  P.  Every  banner  was  in- 
scribed with  O.  P.  The  dance  was  O,  P.  The  cry  was 
still  O,  P.  Each  managerial  heart  beat  to  the  truth  of  Sir 
Vicary  Gibbs'  Latin  pleasantry,  '*  effbdiuntur  OPES  irritamenta 
malwum"  Mr.  Kemble  appealed  to  the  audience  from  the 
stage,  in  vain.  Mr.  Charles  Kemble  was  hooted  for  being 
a  brother  of  Kemble.  Mrs.  Charles  Kemble  was  yelled  at, 
nay,  pelted  with  oranges,  for  being  the  wife  of  the  brother  of 
Kemble.  Even  Mrs.  Siddons's  awful  majesty  was  not  a 
counterpoise  to  her  being  of  the  Kemble  blood.  At  length, 
however,  a  compromise  was  effected ;  the  private  boxes  were 
reduced  to  their  number  in  1802;  the  price  of  admission 
to  the  pit  was  restored  to  three  shillings  and  sixpence ;  and 
the  proprietors  were  allowed  the  benefit  of  the  advance  of  a 
shilling  on  every  admission  to  the  boxes. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  season  1811-12,  Mr.  Kemble  quitted 
the  London  stage  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  professional  tour 
in  the  country.  On  the  llth  of  Jan.  1814,  being  re-engaged 
for  a  term  of  three  years,  he  appeared  at  Covent  Garden 
theatre  in  the  character  of  Coriolanus,  and  was  greeted  with 
enthusiastic  applause ;  a  laurel  crown  was  thrown  upon  the 
stage ;  and  the  whole  audience  rose  simultaneously  to  wel- 
come him.  Here  Mr.  Kemble  continued  till  the  termination 
of  his  splendid  career ;  performing,  however,  at  intervals,  in 
several  of  the  provincial  theatres.  His  last  appearance  in 
Edinburgh  took  place  on  Saturday  the  29th  of  March,  1817, 


30  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

in  the  part  of  Macbeth  ;  on  which  occasion  he  delivered  the 
following  address,  written  by  his  friend,  Sir  Walter  Scott : 

"  As  the  worn  war-horse,  at  the  trumpet's  sound 
Erects  his  mane,  and  neighs,  and  paws  the  ground ; 
Disdains  the  ease  his  generous  lord  assigns, 
And  longs  to  rush  on  the  embattled  lines  ; 
So  I,  your  plaudits  ringing  on  mine  ear, 
Can  scarce  sustain  to  think  our  parting  near ; 
To  think  my  scenic  hour  for  ever  past, 
And  that  those  valued  plaudits,  are  my  last. 

"  But  years  steal  on ;  and  higher  duties  crave 
Some  space  between  the  theatre  and  grave ; 
That,  like  the  Roman  in  the  capitol, 
I  may  adjust  my  mantle  ere  I  fall ; 
My  life's  brief  act  in  public  service  flown, 
The  last,  the  closing  scene,  must  be  my  own. 

"  Here  then,  adieu  !  while  yet  some  well-graced  pa.rts 
May  fix  an  ancient  favourite  in  your  hearts, 
Not  quite  to  he  forgotten,  even  when 
You  look  on  better  actors,  younger  men ; 
And  if  your  bosoms  own  this  kindly  debt 
Of  old  remembrance,  how  shall  mine  forget  ? 
O  !  how  forget  how  oft  I  hither  came 
In  anxious  hope,  how  oft  returned  with  fame  ! 
How  oft  around  your  circle,  this  weak  hand 
Has  waved  immortal  Skakspeare's  magic  wand, 
Till  the  full  burst  of  inspiration  came, 
And  I  have  felt,  and  you  have  fann'd  the  flame  ! 
By  mem'ry  treasured,  while  her  reign  endures, 
These  hours  must  live  —  and  all  their  claims  are  yours. 

"  O  favoured  land !  renowned  for  arts  and  arms, 
For  manly  talent,  and  for  female  charms, 
Could  this  full  bosom  prompt  the  sinking  line, 
What  fervent  benedictions  now  were  thine ! 
But  my  last  part  is  played,  my  knell  is  rung, 
When  e'en  jour  praise  falls  faltering  from  my  tongue; 
And  all  that  you  can  hear,  or  I  can  tell, 
Is  —  Friends  and  Patrons,  hail,  and  FARE  YOU  WELL  1"" 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  31 

As  we  are  now  approaching  the  close  of  Mr.  Kemble's 
professional  life,  the  present  is  perhaps  the  most  fit  opportu- 
nity for  saying  something  of  his  general  qualifications  for  the 
stage,  and  of  a  few  of  the  characters  in  the  representation  of 
which  he  was  so  transcendent. 

Mr.  Kemble  combined  in  an  eminent  degree,  the  physical 
and  mental  requisites  for  the  highest  rank  in  his  profession. 
To  a  noble  form,  and  classical  and  expressive  countenance, 
he  added  the  advantages  of  a  sound  judgment,  indefatigable 
industry,  and  a  decided  genius,  and  ardent  love  for  the  art 
of  which  he  was  so  distinguished  an  ornament.  He  possess- 
ed besides,  that  essential  characteristic  of  a  first-rate  tragic 
actor,  an  air  of  intellectual  superiority,  and  a  peculiarity  of 
manner  and  appearance,  which  impressed  the  spectator,  at  a 
glance,  with  the  conviction  that  he  was  not  of  the  race  of  com- 
mon men.  His  voice  was  defective  in  the  undertones  ne- 
cessary for  soliloquy  ;  but  in  declamation  it  was  strong  and 
efficient;  and  in  tones  of  melancholy,  indescribably  touch- 
ing. No  music  was  ever  heard  which  could  better  revive 
the  tale  of  past  times.  It  was  indeed  one  of  the  most  ex- 
quisite beauties  of  his  performances,  that  a  single  passage  fre- 
quently recalled  to  the  mind  "  a  whole  history."  At  the 
same  time,  it  must  be  confessed  that  there  were  occasions, 
principally  while  he  was  suffering  from  the  languor  of  in- 
disposition, when  his  enunciation  was  unpleasingly  elaborate 
and  prolonged. 

To  young  and  inexperienced  critics,  he  appeared  to  have 
too  much  art.  Judging  more  from  feelings  than  from  prin- 
ciples, they  regarded  him  as  departing  from  propriety  in 
the  same  degree  in  which  they  saw  him  depart  from  the  cha- 
racter of  nature,  as  it  existed  in  their  own  minds.  Com- 
paring him  with  their  own  notions,  indeed  in  many  cases 
with  their  own  knowledge  of  the  prototype  in  nature  of  the 
part  which  he  was  performing,  they  felt  that  the  representa- 
tion and  the  reality  had  very  little  resemblance ;  and,  that  they 
had  never  met  with  any  one  who  walked,  looked,  and  spoke 
as  he  did.  But  when  they  saw  him-  a  second,  and  a  third, 


32  JOHN   PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

and  a  fourthtime,  they  began  to  understand  the  source  of 
their  error,  and  the  character  of  his  excellence.  They  per- 
ceived that  his  whole  performance  was  the  result  of  profound 
study;  that  he  departed  intentionally  from  simple  nature, 
because  he  had  seen  that  nature,  artificially  combined,  would 
produce  a  greater  effect ;  that  his  playing  therefqre  was  not 
to  be  judged  by  its  resemblance  to  ordinary  nature,  and 
general  character,  but  by  its  conformity  with  what  nature 
would  appear  and  become  under  certain  selected  circum» 
stances.  They  saw  that  acting,  like  poetry,  or  paintingt 
ought  not  to  take  its  subject  from  merely  common  nature ; 
and  that  an  actor,  like  a  poet  or  a  painter,  could  never  possess 
the  genuine  feelings,  spirit,  and  genius  of  his  art,  unless  he 
formed  himself  by  a  beau  ideal  in  his  own  imagination. 

While  depicting,  in  the  most  powerful  manner  possible, 
the  fiercest  rage,  the  bitterest  hatred,  or  the  wildest  despera- 
tion  of  a  perturbed  spirit,  —  while  representing,  in  short,  the 
"  very  whirlwind  of  passion,"  he  was  always  at  a  distance 
from  the  confines  pf  extravagance ;  he  was  always  careful  to 
"  beget  a  temperance  that  might  give  it  smoothness."  His 
acting  was  the  finest  exemplification  conceivable  of  the  truth, 
that  distortion  of  visage,  and  writhing  of  limb  are  ineffective, 
in  proportion  as  they  are  outrageous;  that  eternal  starts, 
and  chafings,  and  restlessness,  are  significant  only  of  littleness 
and  imbecility  ;  that  all  such  ingenuities  are  wretched  sub- 
stitutes for  essential  expression ;  and  are,  to  adopt  the  lan- 
guage of  La  Rochefpucault,  "  mysteries  of  the  body  to  conceal 
the  defects  of  the  mind."  To  this  the  manner  of  Kemble  was 
directly  opposed.  In  all  his,  numerous  performances  there 
were  to  be  remarked  no  laborious  effort,  no  painful  tension  of 
his  faculties,  no  search  after  extrinsic  embellishment,  or  false 
and  conceited  contrast.  Every  thing  had  its  distinct  meaning ; 
• —  every  look,  every  tone,  and  every  gesture  were  impressive, 
not  only  in  themselves,  but  because  they  all  converged  to  one 
point ;  —  they  were  all  determined  by,  and  had  reference  to, 
one  pervading  idea,  which  influenced  and  governed  the 
whole. 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  Sft 

Whether  on  or  off  the  stage,  Mr.  Kemble  never  lost  sight 
of  his  profession.  While  performing,  he  was  ever  attentive 
to  the  minutest  circumstance,  whether  relating  to  his  own 
part,  or  to  the  parts  of  others  ;  when  off  the  stage*  he  was 
diligently  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  whatever  was  connected 
with  the  history,  or  illustration  of  his  art.  He  therefore,  at 
a  prodigious  expence,  made  an  unrivalled  collection  of  the 
dramatic  works  of  British  genius,  and  of  books  relative  to  the 
history  of  the  stage;  and,  during  the  long  period  of  his 
management,  in  the  two  winter  theatres,  the  public  were  in- 
debted to.  his  researches  into  our  ancient  drama,  for  the  re- 
vival of  many  pieces  of  acknowledged  value,  which  had  been 
long  neglected,  and  were  almost  forgotten ;  but  which  hi«s 
judicious,  alterations  contributed  to  restore  to  their  former 
popularity 

In  speaking  of  the  merits  of  Mr.  Kemble,  in  some  of  his 
chief  theatrical  characters,  it  is  impossible  to  say  any  thing 
absolutely  new.  We  shall  therefore  do  little  more  than 
adopt,  with  certain-  modifications,  a  few  of  the  numerous  criti- 
cisms which  his  performances  called  forth  from  some  of  the 
best  judges  of  dramatic  excellence. 

In  the  vigour  of  his  Kfe,  the  Hamlet  of  Mr.  Kemble  was 
his  best  and  most  favourite  character.  During  his  latter  years, 
time  had  furrowed  his  fine  forehead  and  face;  mope  deeply 
than  even  profound  grief  could  have  worn  the  countenance  of  the 
young  Danish  Prince ;  but  in  Mr.  Kemble's  prime*  he  was 
an  admirable  personation  of  the  melancholy,  the  graceful,  the 
gentle  Hamlet.  The  scholar  shone  in  him  with  learned 
beauty.  The  soldier's  spirit  decorated  his  person.  His 
mourning  dress  was  in  unison  with  the  noble  and  severe  sorrow 
of  his  face.  The  spectator  could  not  take  his  eye  from  the 
dark  intensity  of  Kemble's ,  or  look  on  any  meaner  form  while 
Kemble's  matchless  figure  stood  in  princely  perfection  before 
him.  The  very  blue  ribband  that  suspended  the  picture  of 
his  father  round  his  neck,  had  a  courtly  grace  in  its  disposal. 
When  he  spoke,  his  voice,  in  its  fine  cadences,  fell  like  an  echo 
on  the  ear ;  and  the  listener  was  taken  by  its  tones  back  with 

VOL.    VIII.  D 


34  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

Hamlet  to  his  early  days,  and  over  all  his  griefs,  until  he  felt 
himself,  like  Hamlet,  isolated  amidst  the  revelry  of  the  Danish 
court. 

The  beauty  of  Kemble's  performance  of  Hamlet  was  its 
retrospective  air,  —  its  intensity  arid  abstraction.  His  youth 
seemed  delivered  .over  to  sorrow ;  and  memory  was  indeed 
with  him  vf  the  warder  of  the  brain."  Other  actors  have 
played  the  part  with  more  energy;  have  walked  more  "i'  the 
sun  ;"  have  aimed  more  at  effect;  but  Kemble's  sensible,  lonely 
Hamjet.,  has  never  been  surpassed. 

Mr,  Kemble's  delineation  of  Cato  was  magnificent.  The 
hopes  of  Rome  seemed  fixed  upon  him.  The  fate  of  "  the 
immortal  city"  appeared  to  have  retired  to  his  tower-like  figure 
as  to  a  fortress,,  and  thence  to  look  down  upon  the  petty 
struggles  of  ;traitors  and  assasins.  He  stood  in  the  gorgeous 
foldings  of  .his  robes,  proudly  pre-eminent.  When  his  son 
was  killed,  apcl  the  sjtoicism  of  the  Roman  wrestled  with  the 
feelings  of  the  father,  the  contest  was  terrifically  displayed. 

There  were  -those  who  preferred  him  in  Brutus.  The  Ro- 
man part  of  the  character  was  certainly  admirably  pourtrayed; 
but  the  tenderness  of  heart,  which  occasionally  rises  up  through 
all  the  Roman  sternness,  was  perhaps  not  sufficiently  marked. 
And  yet,  nothing  could  exceed  the  manner  in  which  he  spoke 
the  three  simple  words, 

"  Portia  is  dead." 

Uttered  by  a  common  actor,  those  words  convey  only  the 
relation  of  a  fact,  melancholy,  indeed,  and  therefore  affecting ; 
but  when  delivered  by  Mr.  Kemble,  they  strikingly  exhibited 
the  workings  of  a  mind  in  which  anguish  was  with  difficulty 
subdued  by  philosophy.  The  effect  was  always  electrical. 

Coriolanus  was  a  Roman  of  quite  another  stamp ;  and 
MI*.  Kemble  seems  to  have  been  more  universally  liked  in 
that  part  than  in  any  other.  The  contempt  of  inferiors  suited 
the  haughty  tone  of  his  voice ;  and  the  fierce  impetuosity  of 
the  brave  young  patrician  was  admirably  seconded  by  the 
muscular  beauty  of  person  in  the  actor.  When  he  entered 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  35 

in  the  first  scene,  the  crowd  of  mob-Romans  fell  back  as  though 
they  espied  a  wild  bull ;  and  he  dashed  in  amongst  them  in 
scarlet  pride ;  and  looked,  even  in  the  eyes  of  the  audience, 
sufficient  "  to  beat  forty  of  them."  His  asking  to  be  Consul, 
his  quarrel  with  the  tribunes,  his  appearance  under  the  statue 
of  Mars,  in  the  hall  of  Aufidius,  and  his  taunt  of  the  Volscian 
just  before  his  death,  were  specimens  of  noble  and  earnest 
acting,  that  can  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  have  wit- 
nessed them. 

In  Macbeth  this  great  performer  was  grandly  effective,  par- 
ticularly in  the  murder  scene.  At  the  banquet,  he  was  kingly 
indeed  !  The  thought  of  the  witches  seemed  to  be  always  upon 
him,  weighing  him  down  with  supernatural  fear.  In  the 
latter  scenes  he  displayed  great  energy  and  spirit ;  and  there 
was  a  fine  melancholy  tone  which  smote  upon  the  heart  in  his 
delivery  of  the  lines  : 


My  way  of  life 


Is  fallen  into  the  sear,  the  yellow  leaf; 
And  that  which  should  accompany  old  age, 
As  honour,  love,  obedience,  troops  of  friends, 
I  must  not  look  to  have ;  but,  in  their  stead, 
Curses,  not  loud,  but  deep,  mouth-honour,  breath, 
Which  the  poor  heart  would  fain  deny,  but  dare  not." 

His  Richard  the  Third,  although  in  many  instances  ad- 
mirable, was  perhaps  too  collected,  too  weighty  in  the  con- 
sideration of  crime,  too  slow  of  apprehension.  It  wanted 
that  tempest  and  whirlwind  of  the  soul,  that  life,  and  spirit, 
and  dazzling  rapidity  of  motion,  which  seem  essential  to  the 
valiant,  energetic,  and  ambitious  tyrant. 

In  King  John,  (a  character  however  somewhat  tedious,) 
Mr.  Kemble  was  greatly  elaborate  and  impressive.  His  scene 
with  Hubert  was  as  powerful  as  genius  could  make  it.  His 
death  chilled  the  heart,  as  the  touch  of  marble  chills  the 
hand  ;  and  it  almost  seemed  as  if  a  monument  was  wrestling 
with  fate. 

His  Lear  was  one  of  his  finest  performances.  Who  that 
has  heard  it  can  ever  forget  the  appalling  manner  in  which 
he  uttered  the  dreadful  curse  on  his  unnatural  daughter  ? 

D  2 


JOHN    PHILIP   KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

" Hear,  nature,  hear! 

Dear  goddess,  hear  J  Suspend  thy  purpose,  if 

Thou  didst  intend  to  make  this  creature  fruitful  J 

Into  her  womb  conyey  sterility ! 

And  from  her  derogate  body  never  spring 

A  babe  to  honour  her  !  If  she  must  teem, 

Create  her  child  of  spleen  ;  that  it  may  live, 

And  be  a  thwart  disnatur'd  torment  to  her ! 

ket  it  stamp  wrinkles  in  her  brow  of  youth  ; 

With  cadent  tears  fret  channels  in  her  cheeks ; 

Turn  all  her  mother's  pains  and  benefits 

To  laughter  and  contempt ;  that  she  may  feel 

How  sharper  than  a  serpent's  tooth  it  is 

To  have  a  thankless  child !" 

That  Mr.  Kemble  was  capable  of  showing  the  force  of 
contrast  to  a  wonderful  extent,  was,  among  other  instances, 
evident  in  his  Posthumus  Leonatus,  in  the  vivid  change  from 
the  agony  of  suspicion  to  the  relief  of  hope,  when,  in  the 
midst  of  his  torture  at  lachimo's  proof  of  Imogen's  alleged  in- 
fidelity, eagerly  catching  at  the  bare  suggestion  of  his  friend 
Fhilario,  that  the  ring  might  have  been  stolen  by  her  women, 
and  half  interrupting  him,  he  exclaimed, 

"  Aye,  very  true  !" 

In  characters  of  vehemence  and  passion,  such  as  Hotspur 
and  Octavian,  he  so  contrived  to  husband  his  physical 
powers,  even  in  their  decline,  as  to  produce  astounding  effects 
in  the  most  prominent  scenes. 

One  of  the  happiest  and  most  spirited  of  all  Mr.  Kemble's 
performances,  and  in  which  even  his  defects  blended  with  his 
excellencies  to  form  a  perfect  whole,  was  his  Pierre.  The 
dissolute  indifference  assumed  by  this  character  to  cover  the 
darkness  of  his  designs,  and  the  fierceness  of  his  revenge,  ac- 
corded admirably  with  Mr.  Kemble's  manner ;  and  the  tone 
of  morbid  rancorous  raillery  in  which  Pierre  delights  to  in- 
dulge, was  in  unison  with  the  actor's  reluctant,  contemptuous 
personifications  of  gaiety,  and  with  the  scornful  spirit  of  his 
comic  muse,  which  always  laboured  —  invita  Minerva  — 
against  the  grain. 

Penruddock,  in  the  Wheel  of  Fortune,  was  also  one  of 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  3? 

those  characters  in  which  no  other  actor  could  pretend  to  ap- 
proach him.  The  mild,  pensive,  deeply-rooted  melancholy 
of  Penruddock,  his  embittered  recollections  and  dignified 
benevolence,  were  exhibited  by  Mr.  Kemble  with  equal  truth, 
elegance,  and  feeling.  Although  he  dressed  the  part  in  the 
humblest  modern  habit,  still  he  looked  some  superior  crea- 
ture. In  the  Stranger,  too,  which  is  in  fact  nearly  the  same 
character,  he  appeared  to  brood  over  the  remembrance  of 
disappointed  hope  till  his  grief  became  a  part  of  himself. 
The  feeling  which  pervaded  him  never  varied.  The  weight 
at  his  heart  was  never  lightened.  It  seemed  as  if  his  whole 
life  was  a  suppressed  sigh. 

Having  thus,  however  imperfectly,  described  the  qualifica- 
tions of  Mr.  Kemble  for  his  profession,  and  noticed  a  few  of 
his  principal  characters,  we  shall  proceed  to  give  some  ac- 
count of  his  retirement ;  which  was  attended  by  such  ex- 
traordinary tokens  of  public  admiration  and  regard,  that  it 
deserves  to  be  particularly  recorded. 

On  the  25th  of  October,  1816,  Mr.  Kemble,  having  re- 
turned to  London,  commenced  his  last  theatrical  season,  and 
played  most  of  his  chief  characters  (several  of  them  re- 
peatedly), viz.  Cato,  Coriolarius,  the  Stranger,  Pierre,.  Brutus, 
Lord  Townley,  King  John,  Penruddock,  Hotspur,  Hamlet, 
Zanga,  Cardinal  Wolsey,  Octavian,  Leonatus  Posthumus, 
and  Macbeth.  On  the  23d  of  June,  1817,  he  took  his  final 
leave  of  the  stage  in  Coriolanus* 

As  soon  as  it  became  generally  known  that  Mr.  Kemble 
was  to  perform  for  the  last  time  on  the  night  of  the  23d  of 
June,  every  box  in  the  house  was  secured,  and  the  orchestra 
was  fitted  up  for  the  accommodation  of  those  lovers  of  the 
drama  who  longed  to  see  their  great  actor  once  more.  All 
the  leading  members  of  the  profession,  and  among  them 
M.  Talma,  were  present.  Mr.  Kemble  played  Coriolanus 
with  an  abandonment  of  self-care,  with  a  boundless  energy,  a 
loose  of  strength,  as  though  he  felt  that  he  should  never  play 
again,  and  that  he  needed  to  husband  his  powers  no  longer. 
The  audience  were  borne  along  with  him  until  they  ap- 

D  3 


38  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

preached  the  rapids  of  the  last  act  —  and  then  they  seemed 
at  once  conscious  of  their  approaching  fate,  and  shrank  from 
the  fall.  The  curtain  dropped  amidst  shouts  of  "  No  farewell ! 
No  farewell  !"  but,  true  to  himself,  the  proud  actor  came 
forward,  evidently  "  oppressed  with  grief,  oppressed  with 
care."  He  struggled  long  before  he  could  obtain  silence,  — 
and  then  he  struggled  long  before  he  could  break  it.  At 
length,  he  stammered  out,  in  honest,  earnest  truth,  "  I  have 
now  appeared  before  you  for  the  last  time ;  this  night  closes 
my  professional  life."  The  burst  of  "  No  !  No  !"  was  tre- 
mendous ;  but  Mr.  Kemble  had  "  rallied  life's  whole  energy 
to  die;"  and  he  stood  his  ground;  continuing  his  farewell 
address,  when  the  storm  abated,  in  the  following  words ;  of 
course  frequently  interrupted  by  his  own  feelings,  and  by  the 
ardent  and  affectionate  cheers  of  the  audience. 

"  I  am  so  much  agitated  that  I  cannot  express  with  any 
tolerable  propriety  what  I  wish  to  say.  I  feared,  indeed,  that 
I  should  not  be  able  to  take  my  leave  of  you  with  sufficient 
fortitude,  —  composure,  I  mean,  —  and  had  intended  to  with- 
draw myself  from  before  you  in  silence ;  —  but  I  suffered 
myself  to  be  persuaded  that  if  it  were  only  from  old  custom, 
some  little  parting  word  would  be  expected  from  me  on  this 
occasion.  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  I  entreat  you  to  believe, 
that,  whatever  abilities  I  have  possessed,  —  either  as  an  actor, 
in  the  performance  of  the  characters  allotted  to  me,  —  or  as 
a  manager,  in  endeavouring  at  a  union  of  propriety  and 
splendour  in  the  representation  of  our  best  plays,  and  par- 
ticularly of  those  of  the  divine  Shakspeare ;  —  I  entreat  you 
to  believe  that  all  my  labours,  all  my  studies,  whatever  they 
have  been,  have  been  made  delightful  to  me,  by  the  appro- 
bation with  which  you  have  been  pleased  constantly  to  reward 
them. 

"I  beg  you.  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  to  accept  my  thanks  for 
the  great  kindness  you  have  invariably  shown  me,  from  the 
first  night  I  became  a  candidate  for  public  favour,  down  to 
this  painful  moment  of  my  parting  with  you  !  —  1  must  take 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  3^ 

my  leave  at  once.  —  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  I  most  respect- 
fully bid  you  a  long,  and  an  unwilling  farewell  !" 

At  the  moment  of  his  withdrawing,  a  laurel  wreath,  at- 
tached to  which  was  a  scroll,  containing  an  urgent  request 
that  he  would  not  take  his  final  leave,  but  consent  to  perform 
a  few  nights  every  season,  as  long  as  his  health  would  permit, 
was  passed  by  a  gentleman  in  the  pit  to  M.  Talma,  in  the 
orchestra,  for  the  purpose  of  being  handed  over  by  him  to 
Mr.  Kemble.  This,  however,  not  being  effected  in  time,  the 
manager  was  called  for,  and  Mr.  Fawcett  appeared.  He 
took  the  wreath,  and  declared  the  pride  he  felt  in  being 
commissioned  to  present  it.  The  audience  then  sadly  and 
slowly  left  the  theatre,  as  if  they  had  been  witnessing  a  death. 

Behind  the  scenes  ^Mr.  Kemble  had  more  kindness  to  en- 
counter. The  mixed  feelings  of  respect  and  regret  which 
had  been  so  strongly  manifested  by  the  audience^  still  more 
powerfully  agitated  Mr.  Kemble's  professional  associates  in 
the  green-room.  They  crowded  round,  earnestly  soliciting 
some  trifling  article  of  his  dress  as  a  memorial.  Mr.  Ma- 
thews,  who,  though  in  a  different  walk  of  the  drama,  is,  from 
his  general  knowledge  of  the  art,  as  well  qualified  as  any  man 
to  appreciate  the  merit  of  a  tragic  actor,  and  who  had  ever  been 
an  unfeigned  admirer  of  Mr.  Kemble's  theatrical  talent,  re- 
ceived from  his  hands  the  gift  of  his  sandals.  Miss  Bristow 
obtained  the  handkerchief  Mr.  Kemble  had  used  that  evening 
on  the  stage ;  which  she  playfully  promised  to  keep  more 
faithfully  than  Desdemona  had  kept  that  of  her  lord.  On 
Mr.  Kemble's  leaving  the  theatre,  the  stage-entrance  was 
filled  up  by  all  ranks  of  the  dramatic  corps,  anxious  to  offer 
a  last  salutation  to  their  veteran  commander,  while  the  out- 
side of  the  door  was  thronged  by  individuals  of  every  de- 
scription, eager  to  catch  a  last  glance  of  their  favourite 
tragedian. 

It  had  for  some  time  been  in  contemplation  by  a  bam.l  of  his 
numerous  admirers,  to  invite  Mr.  Kemble  to  a  public  dinner; 
in  order  to  testify  by  so  unequivocal  a  mark  of  personal  at- 

D  4 


4?0  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

tention,  their  sense  of  his  professional  excellence,  and  their 
regret  at  his  retirement  from  the  stage. 

A  public  meeting  having  been  called  for  the  purpose,  a 
committee  was  immediately  appointed  to  make  the  necessary 
arrangements ;  and  a  subscription  was  entered  into  for  the 
purchase  of  a  piece  of  plate,  to  be  presented  to  Mr.  Kemble 
on  the  occasion.  The  27th  of  June,  1817,  was  fixed  upon 
as  the  day  on  which  he  was  to  receive  one  of  the  most  sincere 
and  gratifying  compliments  that  was  ever  bestowed  on  any 
individual.  Men  of  intellect  and  taste  seemed  to  vie  with  one 
another  in  endeavouring  to  pay  him  honour.  A  design  for  a 
vase  was  furnished  by  Mr.  Flaxman.  A  medal  was  struck 
for  the  committee  by  Mr.  Warwick,  from  a  portrait  in  the 
possession  of  Mr.  Mathews.  Mr.  Poole,  the  well-known  dra- 
matic author,  contributed  an  elegant  inscription  for  the  vase. 
Mr.  Thomas  Campbell  wrote  an  ode,  which  Mr.  Young  un- 
dertook to  recite ;  and  the  musical  accompaniment  to  which 
was  ably  composed  by  Mr.  T.  Cooke. 

Lord  Holland  was  in  the  chair  at  the  dinner.  The  room  was 
thronged  with  noblemen,  and  persons  of  literary  taste  and 
character.  Among  those  who  took  tickets  were  the  Duke 
of  Bedford,  the  Marquis  of  Lansdowne,  the  Marquis  of  Tavi- 
stock,  the  Marquis  of  Worcester,  the  Earl  of  Aberdeen,  the 
Earl  of  Blessington,  the  Earl  of  Carlisle,  the  Earl  of  Essex, 
the  Earl  of  Egremont,  the  Earl  of  Fife,  the  Earl  of  Harring- 
ton, the  Earl  of  Lauderdale,  Earl  Mulgrave,  the  Earl  of 
Ossory,  Earl  Percy,  the  Easl  of  Stair,  the  Earl  of  Yarmouth, 
Baron  de  Arabet,  Lord  Cahir,  Lord  Erskine,  Lord  William 
Gordon,  Lord  Kirkwall,  Lord  Mountnorris,  Lord  Peters- 
ham, Lord  Torrington,  Sir  George  Beaumont,  Sir  N.Conant, 
Sir  G.  Heathcote,  Sir  W.  Owen,  Sir  Robert  Wilson,  the 
Right  Hon.  G.  Canning,  the  Right  Hon.  I.  K.  Frere,  the 
Right  Hon.  G.  Tierney,  the  Hon.  G.Lambe,  the  Hon.  D. 
Macdonald,  J.  W.  Croker,  Esq.  M.  P.,  J.  Calcraft,  Esq. 
M.P.,  J.  H.  Leigh,  Esq.  M.P.,  Dr.  Burney,  Dr.  C.  Burney, 
the  Rev.  G.  Crabbe,  the  Rev.  D.  Lysons,  the  Rev.  J.  Vicary, 


JOHN   PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  41 

Dr.  Merriman,  Dr.  Tait,  General  Phipps,  Colonel  Berkeley, 
Colonel  O'Kelly,  F.  Chantrey,  Esq.  R.  A.,  John  Flaxman, 
Esq.  R.A.,  Thomas  Lawrence,  Esq.  R.  A.,  Wm.  Owen, 
Esq.  R.  A.,  M.  A.  Shee,  Esq.  R.  A.,  R.  Smirke,  Esq.  R.  A., 
J.  Soane,  Esq.  R.  A.,  H.  Thomson,  Esq.  R.  A.,  J.  M.  W. 
Turner,  Esq.  R.  A.,  R.  Westmacott,  Esq.  R.  A ,  Benj. 
West,  Esq.  P.  R.  A.,  Messrs.  Abbott,  Arnold,  Adolphus, 
Angerstein,  Betty,  Bannister,  Blanchard,  Broadhurst,  Bella- 
my, Baily,  Bramah,  T.  Cooke,  Thomas  Campbell,  Claremont, 
Corry,  Conway,  Dowton,  Duruset,  Dubois,  D'Egville,  Dib- 
din,  Emery,  Farley,  Fawcett,  Wm.  Gifford,  Goldsmith, 
Grimaldi,  Heath,  Heber,  Harris,  Hill,  Holt,  Hibbert,  Hay- 
don,  Holland,  Incledon,  Isaacs,  Jones,  Johnstone,  Johnson, 
C.  Kemble,  Kean,  Kelly,  Knyvett,  Listen,  Lysons,  Lavie, 
Mathews,  Thomas  Moore,  Murray,  Macready,  Meyer,  Ni- 
choll,  Oakley,  Poole,  Pope,  Perry,  Payne,  Pocock,  Quin, 
Rae,  Samuel  Rogers,  Robins,  Rose,  Reynolds,  Raymond, 
St.  Aubyn,  Shield,  Smith,  Stuart,  Street,  Sinclair,  Taylor, 
Telford,  Talma,  Terry,  Twiss,  Urquhart,  Walker,  Walsh, 
Wallack,  Wrench,  Young,  &c.  &c.  &c. 

Mr.  Kemble  sat  on  the  right  hand  of  the  noble  president, 
his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Bedford  on  the  left.  After  dinner, 
and  after  some  of  the  usual  toasts,  Lord  Holland  rose  and 
said: 

"  Gentlemen,  in  pursuance  of  the  proceedings  of  this  day, 
I  hoped  to  have  had  the  honour  and  satisfaction  of  pre- 
senting to  my  friend  who  sits  near  me,  the  piece  of  plate 
which  it  is  your  wish  to  bestow  upon  him,  as  an  indication  of 
the  high  sense  you  entertain  of  his  abilities.  But,  unfortu- 
nately, I  am  prevented  from  performing  that  grateful  duty, 
the  rich  and  beautiful  work  designed  for  the  vase  not  being 
yet  completed.  Here  is,  however,  a  drawing  of  the  vase, 
which  will  be  handed  round  the  room.  1  have  also  a  copy 
of  the  inscription  intended  for  it,  which,  if  you  please,  I  will 
read  to  you. 


42  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

TO 

JOHN  PHILIP  KEMBLE, 

ON     HIS     RETIREMENT     FROM     THE     STAGE, 

Of  which,  for  thirty-four  years,  he  has  been  the  Ornament  and  Pride  ; 

Which   to   his   Learning,  Taste,   and   Genius, 
Is  indebted  for   its  present    state  of  Refinement ; 

Which,  under  his  auspices, 

And  aided  by  his  unrivalled  Labours, 

(Most  worthily  devoted  to  the  support  of  the 

LEGITIMATE  DRAMA, 
And  more  particularly  to  the 
GLORY    OF    SHAKSPEARE,) 

Has  attained  to  a  degree  of  Splendour  and  Propriety  before  unknown  ; 

And  which,  from  his  high  Character,  has  acquired  increase  of 

HONOUR  AND   DIGNITY, 

THIS  VASE, 

BY   A    NUMEROUS    ASSEMBLY    OF    HIS    ADMIRERS, 

Was  presented, 

Through  the  Hands  of  their  President, 
HENRY    RICHARD    VASSAL,    LORD    HOLLAND. 

xxvii  JUNE,  MDCCCXVII. 
"  More  is   thy  dtfe   than  more  than   all  can  payS* 

"  If,  gentlemen,  it  were  not  for  the  feelings  which  actuate 
you,  and  which  influence  myself,  here  I  might  close,  because 
I  think,  composed  as  this  company  is  of  so  many  gentlemen, 
who  have  pursued  the  arduous  profession  of  the  stage  with 
great  success,  and  who  are  perfectly  qualified  to  judge  of 
scenic  ability,  it  would  be  superfluous  in  me  to  descant  on 
such  a  topic :  it  would,  indeed,  unable  as  I  am  to  do  justice 
to  the  subject,  be  worse  than  superfluous ;  it  would  be  pre- 
sumptuous and  impertinent  in  me  to  enlarge  on  that  great 
combination  of  qualities,  natural  and  acquired,  necessary  to 
form  a  perfect  actor.  But  if,  following  the  object  for  which 
we  are  here  assembled,  1  were  to  touch  on  the  various  abili- 
ties of  my  excellent  friend  near  me,  what  else  should  I  be 
doing,  but  describing  those  natural  qualities  and  acquired 
perfections  which  are  indispensable  in  the  constitution  of  an 
accomplished  actor;  which  alone  can  raise  men  to  that  high 
eminence  which  Mr.  Kemble  so  long  enjoyed  in  that  profes- 
sion which  gives  to  poetry  so  much  force  and  effect,  and 
which  imparts  to  thousands  so  large  a  portion  of  rational  and 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  43 

innocent  amusement  ?  For,  as  no  person  ever  brought  to  the 
stage  a  greater  portion  of  those  natural  advantages  which 
realize  the  idea  of  the  poet,  and  afford  assistance  to  the 
sister  arts  of  painting  and  sculpture,  than  Mr.  Kemble ;  so  I 
will  contend,  that  no  man  ever  cultivated  the  dramatic  art 
with  greater  assiduity,  zeal,  learning,  and  judgment.  Gentle- 
men, it  is  quite  unnecessary  for  me  to  dwell,  as  I  have  already 
said,  on  those  qualities  which  recommend  an  actor  to  public 
applause;  because,  by  your  being  here  this  day,  you  prove 
that  you  understand  them  much  better  than  I  can  describe 
them.  We  have  met  here,  not  only  because  we  feel  a  per- 
fect conviction  of  the  great  difficulties  which  are  attached  to 
the  study  of  this  profession,  but  we  have  met  here  also  because 
we  rate  highly  those  qualifications  which  are  necessary  to  suc- 
cess on  the  stage,  and  which  my  friend  near  me  possesses  in 
a  pre-eminent  degree.  Here,  gentlemen,  I  wish  to  mention  a 
subject,  which  is  so  immediately  connected  with  the  object  for 
which  we  are  met,  that  I  trust  I  may  be  allowed  to  interrupt 
your  conviviality  by  calling  your  attention  for  one  moment  to 
it.  It  has  generally  been  the  idea  of  those  who  wrote  on  the 
profession  of  acting  —  particularly  the  poets ;  and  of  one  more 
especially,  whose  name  we  all  venerate,  and  whose  loss  we  all 
deplore  —  I  mean  the  late  lamented  Mr.  Sheridan,  speaking 
of  the  difficulties  and  discouraging  circumstances  which  at- 
tend the  art,  "  that  the  materials  of  the  actor's  fame  are  more 
perishable  than  those  of  the  poet's  or  the  painter's."  We  have 
met,  I  think,  this  day  to  remove  some  of  the  injustice  to  which 
the  profession  has  been  subjected.  Mr. Kemble  has,  by  col- 
lateral measures,  done  more  for  the  permanent  prosperity  of 
the  stage,  and  consequently  for  the  fame  of  its  votaries,  than 
any  person  who  has  gone  before  him.  For,  as  long  as  the 
British  theatre  exists  —  as  long  as  the  plays  of  Shakspeare 
shall  be  represented  in  this  metropolis,  the  result  of  his  learn- 
ing and  industry  will  be  seen  in  the  propriety  of  the  scenic 
decorations,  in  the  improvement  of  the  costume,  and  in  many 
matters  apparently  of  minor  considerntion  ;  but  which,  when 


44  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

effected,  show  the  man  of  research  and  of  ability ,  and  dis- 
play the  mind  of  the  scholar  and  the  critic.  I  thought  it 
necessary  to  touch  upon  this  point,  since  it  appears  to  be  so 
nearly  connected  with  the  business  of  the  day.  I  shall  not 
trespass  on  you  further.  What  we  are  met  to  do,  I  hope 
will  be  acceptable  to  my  friend,  and  gratifying  to  us  all.  The 
feelings  by  which  we  are  impelled,  are,  I  think,  embodied  in 
the  inscription  which  has  been  read  to  you :  they  are  those 
of  gratitude,  respect,  and  affection :  —  gratitude  for  the  de- 
light he  has  so  often  imparted  to  us  in  crowded  theatres; 
respect  for  him  as  a  scholar  and  a  critic ;  and  affection  for  his 
virtues,  as  a  man  of  independent  character,  and  of  upright 
conduct.  I  am  sure  that,  with  his  usual  good  nature,  he  will 
accept  of  this  address,  as  a  memorial  of  respect  and  esteem. 
If  I  am  not  misinformed,  a  gentleman  present  will  recite  an 
ode,  more  expressive  of  my  feelings  than  any  thing  I  can  say 
to  you." 

His  Lordship's  speech'  was  frequently  interrupted  by  the 
tumultuous  applause  of  the  company.  Silence  being  at  length 
obtained,  Mr.  Young  rose,  and  delivered  the  following  Ode* 
with  extraordinary  energy  and  pathos : 

ODE 

BY  THOMAS  CAMPBELL,  ESQ. 
AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  PLEASURES  OF  HOPE." 

Pride  of  the  British  Stage, 

A  long  and  last  adieu ! 
Whose  image  brought  th'  heroic  age 

Reviv'd  to  fancy's  view. 
Like  fields  refresh'd  with  dewy  light, 

When  the  sun  smiles  his  last, 
Thy  parting  presence  makes  more  bright 

Our  memory  of  the  past. 
And  memory  conjures  feelings  up 

That  wine  or  music  need  not  swell, 
As  high  we  lift  the  festive  cup 

To  <  Kemble,  fare  thee  well  1' 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMJ3LE,    ESQ.  45 

His  was  the  spell  o'er  hearts 

That  only  Acting  lends, 
The  youngest  of  the  sister  arts, 

Where  all  their  beauty  blends. 
For  Poetry  can  ill  express 

Full  many  a  tone  of  thought  sublime  ; 
And  Painting,  mute  and  motionless, 

Steals  but  one  partial  glance  from  Time* 
But  by  the  mighty  Actor  brought, 

Illusion's  wedded  triumphs  come, 
Verse  ceases  to  be  airy  thought, 

And  Sculpture  to  be  dumb  J 

Time  may  again  revive, 

But  ne'er  efface  the  charm, 
When  Cato  spoke  in  him  alive, 

Or  Hotspur  kindled  warm. 
What  soul  was  not  resign'd  entire 

To  the  deep  sorrows  of  the  Moor  ? 
What  English  heart  was  not  on  fire 

With  him  at  Agincourt  ? 
And  yet  a  majesty  possess'd 

His  transports'  most  impetuous  tone  ; 
And  to  each  passion  of  his  breast 

The  Graces  gave  their  zone. 

High  were  the  task,  too  high, 

Ye  conscious  bosoms  here, 
In  words  to  paint  your  memory 

Of  Kemble,  and  of  Lear; 
But  who  forgets  that  white  discrowned  head ! 

Those  bursts  of  reason's  half  extinguish'd  glare; 
Those  tears  upon  Cordelia's  bosom  shed; 

In  doubt,  more  touching  than  despair, 
If  'twas  reality  he  felt  — 

Had  Shakspeare's  self  amidst  you  been, 
Friends,  he  had  seen  you  melt, 

And  triumph'd  to  have  seen. 

And  there  was  many  an  hour 

Of  blended  kindred  fame  ; 
When  Siddons's  auxiliar  power 

And  sister  magic  came  : 


4*6  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,   ESQ* 

Together  at  the  Muge's  side 

Her  tragic  paragons  had  grown  ; 
They  were  the  children  of  her  prkte, 

The  columns  of  her  throne. 
And  undivided  favour  ran, 

From  heart  to  heart,  in  their  applause, 
Save  for  the  gallantry  of  man, 

In  lovelier  woman's  cause. 

Fair  as  some  classic  dome, 

Robust  and  richly  graced, 
Your  Kemble's  spirit  was  the  home 

Of  Genius  and  of  Taste. 
Taste,  like  the  silent  gnomon's  power, 

That,  when  supernal  light  is  given, 
Can  dial  inspiration's  hour, 

And  tell  its  height  in  heaven. 
At  once  ennobled  and  correct, 

His  mind  survey'd  the  tragic  page* 
And  what  the  actor  could  effect, 

The  scholar  could  presage. 

These  were  his  traits  of  worth  — 

And  must  we  lose  them  now? 
And  must  the  scene  no  more  shew  forth 

His  sternly-pleasing  brow  ? 
Alas  !  the  moral  brings  a  tear  — 

'Tis  all  a  transient  hour  below, 
And  we  that  would  detain  th«e  herey 

Ourselves  as  fleetly  go. 
Yet  shall  our  latest  age 

This  parting  scene  review  — 
Pride  of  the  British  Stage, 

A  long  and  last  adieu  !" 

Lord  Holland  then  gave  the  health  of  Mr.  Kemble,  which 
was  drunk  with  enthusiasm.  After  a  short  pause,  during 
which  he  appeared  much  affected,  Mr.  Kemble  rose,  and  ad- 
dressed the  company  as  follows  : 

"  Gentlemen,  for  your  presence  here  to-day,  and  the 
honour  you  have  clone  me  in  drinking  my  health,  I  beg 
leave  to  offer  you  my  most  sincerely  grateful  acknowledg- 
ments. Unused  as  I  am  to  extemporaneous  public  speaking, 


JOHN   PHILIP   KEMBLE,    ESQ.  47 

it  will  not  appear  extraordinary  that  I  should  find  myself 
embarrassed  in  addressing  an  assembly  composed  of  men, 
admired  for  their  genius,  honoured  for  their  rank,  and  valued 
for  learning  and  talents  of  every  kind.  I  shall,  therefore, 
gentlemen,  confine  myself  to  saying,  that  you  do  me  the 
greatest  honour  that  can  grace  the  retirement  of  any  actor; 
and  as  it  is  a  distinction  that  never  has  been  shown  to  any  of 
my  predecessors,  it  makes  me  feel  more  intimately  how  far 
your  favour  exceeds  every  thing  which  my  deserts  could  pre- 
tend to.  Gentlemen,  the  terms  in  which  you  are  pleased  to 
speak  of  my  private  life,  as  well  as  of  my  professional  exer- 
tions, are  very  dear  to  me ;  but  on  this  subject  it  would  be 
immodesty  to  say  more  than  that  I  am  proud  to  be  thought 
deserving  of  the  public  good  opinion.  Your  noble  chairman, 
gentlemen,  has  done  me  the  honour  of  attributing  to  me  much 
more  merit  than  belongs  to  me.  His  friendly  feelings  have  led 
him,  I  fear,  very  much  to  over-rate  my  services  to  the  stage. 
But  I  can  truly  say  that,  when  he  attributed  to  me  a  strong 
desire  to  discharge  my  duty  fairly,  in  the  different  parts  of  my 
profession,  — as  far  as  my  earnest  endeavours  to  deserve  that 
praise  could  be  considered  as  entitling  me  to  it,  —  so  far  your 
noble  chairman  has  spoken  of  me  only  with  justice.  The 
manner  in  which  you  have  been  so  kindly  good  as  to  show 
your  solicitude  that  my  performances  may  be  handed  down  to  — 
posterity  is  too  proud  a  word — but,  —  that  the  memory  of 
them  should  live  after  me,  —  is  too  flattering  to  my  feelings, 
not  to  affect  my  heart  most  deeply.  I  receive  the  gift,  gen- 
tlemen, with  affection,  —  with  gratitude  ;  and  it  is  pleasing  to 
me  to  know  that  I  shall  still  be  remembered,  even  when  that 
mark  of  your  kindness  shall  have  faded  away;  since  my  fare- 
well has  been  celebrated  by  the  muse  that  dictated  the 
"  Pleasures  of  Hope." 

In  the  course  of  the  evening,  several  interesting  speeches 
were  made  by  different  individuals,  who  were  called  up  by 
various  appropriate  toasts.  At  eleven  o'clock  Mr.  Kemble 
retired.  The  company  spontaneously  rose,  drank  a  bumper 
to  his  future  health  and  happiness,  and  immediately  with- 


48  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

drew;  and  thus  ended  one  of  the  proudest  days  that  the 
theatrical  profession  ever  witnessed. 

Of  Mr.  Kemble's  private  character  we  have  yet  said  little, 
It  was  most  amiable;  and  his  family  were  all  warmly  at- 
tached to  him.  A  scholar,  and  a  gentleman,  his  manners 
were  at  once  polite  and  unassuming.  His  habits  were  very 
social  and  convivial,  and,  as  a  proof  of  his  good  humour,  he 
collected  the  various  caricatures  of  himself  which  were  from 
time  to  time  published,  and  exhibited  them  to  his  friends 
with  great  glee.  Of  his  easy  jocularity  and  pleasantry,  the 
following  may  be  considered  as  specimens.  At  an  early 
period  of  his  life  he  occasionally  performed  in  operas,  al- 
though certainly  not  with  much  £clat.  Once,  when  rehears- 
ing his  part  in  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion,  and  attempting  his 
song,  Mr.  Shaw,  the  leader  of  the  band,  exclaimed,  "  O,  Sir  ! 
how  shockingly  you  murder  the  time !"  "  If  I  do,"  replied 
Mr.  Kemble,  "  I  am  not  so  merciless  as  you,  who  are 
always  beating  it."  On  &  later  occasion,  when  he  was  super- 
intending the  rehearsal  of  Coriolanus,  and  beholding  the 
effect  of  the  ovation,  he  noticed  an  individual  in  the  train, 
who  required  nothing  to  make  him  pass  for  a  Roman  but  a 
little  more  decision  and  dignity  in  his  deportment  and  gait. 
Mr.  Kemble  approached  the  man ;  and,  having  given  him 
the  requisite  advice,  said  in  the  mild  aspiratory  under-tone  of 
his  voice,  and  with  an  expostulatory  earnestness,  as  if  to 
assure  him  that  he  had  a  reputation  to  sustain  with  the 
audience  —  "  They  like  you ;"  —  adding,  with  a  comically 
artless  admission  of  comparative  inferiority,  —  "  They  like 
me .'" 

It  is  scarcely  possible  for  a  man  who  mixes  much  with  society 
to  pass  through  life  without  at  some  time  or  other  being  in- 
volved in  personal  altercation  and  contest.  Mr.  Kemble's 
general  urbanity  shielded  him  in  a  great  measure  from  un- 
pleasant occurrences  of  that  nature.  One  day,  however, 
dining  with  his  nephew,  Mr.  Henry  Siddons,  and  a  large 
party,  at  the  house  of  a  gentleman  well  known  and  highly  es- 
teemed in  all  the  literary  and  political  coteries  of  the  metro- 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  49 

polls,  Mr.  Henry  Siddons,  after  the  wine  had  freely  circulated^ 
and  the  only  guests  remaining  at  the  table  were  himself  and 
his  uncle,  began  to  remonstrate  with  the  latter  for  being  the 
cause  of  retarding  his  progress  in  the  profession  of  the  stage, 
of  which  he  was  so  fond,  by  persuading  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sid- 
dons  to  endeavour  to  induce  him  to  adopt  some  other.  Mr. 
Kemble  justified  himself,  and  high  words  followed ;  but  the 
friendly  host  successfully  interfered  to  restore  harmony.  The 
next  day  Mr.  Henry  Siddons  dined  at  his  uncle's ;  and  the 
topic  having  been  renewed,  the.  discussion  was  carried  on  so 
warmly,  that  Mr.  Henry  Siddons  abruptly  left  the  house, 
and  sent  his  uncle  a  challenge.  The  impropriety  of  this  step 
of  course  excited  only  a  feeling  of  regret  in  Mr.  Kemble's 
breast.  He  communicated  the  circumstance  to  the  friend 
already  alluded  to,  'and  by  his  good  offices  a  substantial 
reconciliation  was  effected. 

On  another  occasion,  at  the  time  when  the  German  drama 
was  so  popular  in  this  country,  and  when  a  periodical  work, 
called  "  The  German  Theatre,"  edited  by  Mr.  Benjamin 
Thompson,  was  in  the  course  of  publication,  it  so  happened, 
that  on  the  very  day  on  which  "  Deaf  and  Dumb,"  translated 
from  the  German  by  Mr.  Holcroft,  was  brought  out  at  Drury- 
Lane  Theatre,  of  which  Mr.  Kemble  was  the  manager,  a 
number  of  "  The  German  Theatre"  appeared,  containing  the 
same  drama,  translated  by  Mr.  Thompson.  In  the  "  under- 
lining," as  it  is  termed,  of  the  play-bills  of  the  succeeding  day, 
this  coincidence  was  adverted  to,  and  Mr.  Thompson's  pub- 
lication of  "  Deaf  and  Dumb"  was  called  "  surreptitious." 
The  consequence  was,  a  message  from  Mr.  Thompson  to 
Mr.  Kemble;  but  the  friends  selected  by  the  parties  being 
men  of  good  sense,  and  finding  that  no  personal  offence  was 
intended,  soon  brought  about  an  accommodation. 

Mr.  Kemble,  when  in  the  meridian  of  life,  was  a  frequent 
visitor  at  Carlton  House.  His  Majesty,  then  Prince  of 
Wales,  made  him  a  present  of  a  splendid  snuff-box,  as  a  tes- 
timony of  his  esteem.  The  letter  of  thanks  which  Mr.  Kem- 
ble returned  for  this  distinguished  honour  is  said  by  those 

VOL.  VIII.  E 


50  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,   ESQ. 

who  have  seen  it  to  be  one  of  the  most  elegantly-turned  ac- 
knowledgments that  was  ever  written. 

In  the  few  productions  of  his  pen,  however,  which 
Mr.  Kemble  ventured  to  send  to  the  press,  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted, that,  although  they  contain  occasional  flashes  of  fancy 
and  feeling,  he  was  not  so  completely  successful.  Of  this  he 
himself  in  several  instances  became  conscious,  and  in  no  case, 
more  painfully  than  after  the  publication  of  his  "Fugitive 
Pieces  ;"  every  impression  of  which  that  he  could  meet  with 
he  bought  up  and  destroyed.  But,  notwithstanding  all  his 
anxiety  and  efforts,  several  copies  remain  in  existence;  one 
of  which  was  not  long  ago  sold  at  an  auction  for  31.  5s. 

Finding,  soon  after  his  relinquishment  of  the  stage,  that  the 
climate  of  England  was  unfavourable  to  a  severe  asthma  with 
which  he  had  long  been  afflicted,  Mr.  Kemble  repaired  to 
the  south  of  France,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Thoulouse; 
intending,  in  that  serene  and  warm  air,  to  breathe  out  his  last 
years  in  repose  and  content.  It  is  impossible  to  contemplate 
such  a  man,  in  such  a  situation,  without  feelings  which  are  so 
admirably  expressed  in  a  passage  of  an  article  in  a  highly 
respectable  monthly  publication  *,  from  which  we  have  bor- 
rowed largely  in  the  composition  of  this  memoir,  that  we  can- 
not refrain  from  quoting  it. 

<fi  Actors  have  a  double  mortality,  and  die  twice.  —  First, 
their  mental  faculties  droop  and  become  impaired,  and  they 
die  from  the  stage,  which  is  their  public  life ;  and  then,  after 
a  few  years  of  inglorious  silence  and  sloth,  they  catch  the 
common  trick  of  age,  and  die  into  dust.  The  first  death  is 
the  more  severe ;  for  that  is  ,the  death  of  grandeur,  power, 
bright  popularity,  —  fame.  The  poetry  of  life  then  expires, 
and  nothing  is  left  but  the  mere  lees  of  prose.  One  night 
—  the  night  of  retirement  -r-  makes  terrible  change,  and 
holds  a  frightful  division :  on  one  side  we  see  the  pomp  of 
pageant,  the  measured  march,  the  robe,  the  gemmed  crown, 
the  lighted  eye,  the  crowd,  the  brilliancy,  the  shout,  the  tri- 

*   The  London  Magazine. 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  51 

umphs  of  well-feigned  passion,  the  beauty  of  breathed  poetry. 
On  the  other  side  all  is  dark.     Life's  candles  are  burnt  out 
—  aye,  and  in  one  night.     We  see  the  by-gone  actor,  bent 
down  from  his  pride  of  place,  creeping  about  in  his  impove- 
rished state  —  feeble,   dejected,   commonly  attired,   solitary, 
lost.     The  past  remains  to  him  a  pang-like  dream.    Stripped 
at  once  of  alt  his  greatness,  he  wanders  about  like  one  walk- 
ing in  his  sleep  —  seeing   others    usurp  his  throne  in  the 
public  heart,  or^  not  daring  to  abide  the  misery  of  such  a 
usurpation,  straying  solitarily  to  some  distant  spot  —  some 
foreign  shore  —  there  to  hear  no  storm  of  applause,  no  deaf- 
ening shouts  of  a  multitude,  but  to  see  quiet  sunsets,  hear  the 
evening  wind  die  along  the  waters,  and  watch  the   4  untumulU 
tuous  fringe  of  silver  foam,'  woven  momently  and  monoto- 
nously at  his  feet.     He  is  Lear  turned  out  by  his  pelican 
children  from  pomp  to  poverty.     We  will  answer  for  it,  that 
John  Kemble  did  not,  as  some  one  has  said,  quaff  health  in 
the  south  of  France  —  not  health  of  the  heart  —  which  is  the 
only  health  worth  possessing  and  cherishing ;  —  that  he  did 
not  find  the  air  that  blew  over  the  vine-covered  hills  of  France 
wholesomer  than  that  of  a  crowded  house ;  nor  the  length- 
ened murmurs  of  the  Mediterranean  shores  more  sppjkhing 
to  the  soul  than  the  deep  thunders  of  the  pit.     He^  was  a 
grand,  meditative,  melancholy  man ;  and  as  the  airs  and  wa- 
ters of  evening  toned  him  down  to  dreaming  thought,  be  was 
the  one,  if  ever  such  one  were,  to  escape  into  a  bright  vision 
of  the  past — fleet  on  swift  thoughts  from  the  land  of  France, 
and  be  (in  the  words  of  his  own  Penruddock)  '  in  London 
once  again.' " 

And  to  London,  in  earnest,  some  necessary  arrangements 
relative  to  his  private  affairs  for  a  time  recalled  Mr.  Kemble. 
As  it  was  exceedingly  desirable  that  his  numerous  and  valu- 
able collection  of  plays  should  be  kept  together,  his  Grace  the 
Duke  of  Devonshire  agreed  to  take  them ;  originally,  on  con- 
dition of  allowing  Mr.  Kemble  an  annuity  for  his  life ;  Out, 
finally,  that  plan  was  abandoned,  and  a  sum  of  money  was  at 
once  paid  down.  To  this  collection  was  added  one  of  play- 

E  2 


5  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

bills,  the  most  curious  and  complete  ever  made,  with  the  sole 
exception  of  that  of  Dr.  Burney's,  now  deposited  in  the  British 
Museum.  Mr.  Kemble's  general  library  was  disposed  of  by 
auction.  Many  of  the  books,  especially  those  which  con- 
tained his  autograph,  were  sold  at  very  large  prices. 

During  his  stay  in  England,  Mr.  Kemble  assigned  the 
whole  of  his  property  in  Coven  t-Garden  Theatre  over  to 
Mr.  Charles  Kemble. 

On  his  return  to  the  Continent,  Mr.  Kemble  determined  to 
take  up  his  abode  at  Lausanne.  His  house,  called  Beausite, 
was,  as  the  name  denotes,  beautifully  and  romantically  situated. 
Here,  his  chief  occupations  were  his  books  and  his  garden. 
In  the  latter  he  took  great  delight.  He  resorted  to  it  with 
the  first  rays  of  the  sun,  and  kept  it  in  a  state  of  cultivation 
that  could  not  be  surpassed. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  classical  taste  of  Mr.  Kemble 
should  induce  him  to  wish  to  visit  Italy.  In  an  unfortunate 
moment,  he  resolved  to  gratify  that  inclination.  Three 
months  before  his  decease,  and  at  a  very  inauspicious  season, 
he  went  to  Rome.  Instantly  becoming  ill,  his  physician, 
Dr.  Clarke,  peremptorily  ordered  him  to  return  to  Lausanne 
forthwith.  It  was  with  difficulty  he  travelled  thither;  and 
although  the  renewal  of  his  domestic  comforts  seemed  to 
revive  him,  he  never  really  overcame  the  influence  of  the 
malaria  of  Rome. 

It  was  believed  by  his  friends,  however, — for  how  easily  do 
we  believe  what  we  earnestly  wish  !  —  that  he  was  fast  re- 
covering from  the  effects  of  his  visit  to  Italy.  On  Wednesday 
the  19th  of  February,  Mr.  Kemble  dined  at  the  house  of  an 
acquaintance  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  was  observed  to  be 
in  extremely  good  spirits ;  a  few  friends  drank  tea  with  him 
on  the  following  evening ;  when  he  played  his  rubber  (to 
which  he  was  very  partial),  and  appeared  in  excellent  health. 
On  the  Sunday  after  this  day,  Mr.  Kemble  walked  for  two 
hours  in  the  sunshine  of  his  garden,  and  no  sign  of  illness 
was  remarked.  He  arose  on  Monday  morning  as  well  as 
usual,  and  conversed  with  Mrs.  Kemble  on  indifferent  mat- 


JOHN  PHILIP  KEMBLL:,  ESQ.  5 

ters;  when,  according  to  his  usual  custom,  he  read  a  chapter 
in  his  Bible.  He  again  joined  Mrs.  Kemble  in  the  breakfast- 
room,  end  said  to  her,  "  Don't  be  alarmed,  my  dear,  I  have 
had  a  slight  attack  of  apoplexy,"  Mrs.  Kemble  was  naturally 
very  much  terrified,  and  assisted  him  to  his  chair,  and  when 
seated,  he  took  up  a  number  of  Galignani's  Messenger ;  but 
becoming  worse,  his  friend  and  physician,  Dr.  Schole,  was  sent 
for,  who  arrived  in  a  short  time,  and  found  him  in  the  posi- 
tion already  described,  but  altered,  and  exhibiting  very  un- 
favourable symptoms.  His  left  side  had  suffered  a  decided 
attack,  and  he  could  with  difficulty  articulate ;  but  seemed  ex- 
tremely anxious  to  spare  the  feelings  of  Mrs.  Kemble.  Dr. 
Schole,  with  the  assistance  of  his  old  attached  servant  George, 
helped  him  to  his  bed,  and,  in  the  act  of  conducting  him 
thither,  a  second  attack  took  place,  so  suddenly,  that  his 
clothes  were  obliged  to  be  cut  asunder,  in  order  that  he  might 
the  more  speedily  be  let  blood.  But  nature  was  fast  exhaust- 
ing ;  and  one  attack  succeeded  another  so-  rapidly,  that  Mr. 
Kemble  never  spoke  afterwards,  though  he  seemed  perfectly 
sensible  at  intervals.  Until  nine  o'clock  on  Wednesday 
morning,  the  26th  of  February,  1823,  he  lingered  in  this 
speechless  state,  when  he  expired  without  any  apparent  suf- 
fering. Thus  died  this  amiable  and  intellectual  man,  full 
of  years  and  honour,  in  a  distant  land. 

The  funeral  took  place  on  Saturday  the  1st  of  March,  in  a 
piece  of  ground  adjoining  the  cemeterie,  on  the  Berne  road, 
procured  under  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Kemble.  Mr.  Capel 
and  several  English  are  there  interred.  The  Dean  of  Raphoe, 
who  had  lately  returned  to  Lausanne,  read  the  funeral  service 
at  the  house  of  Mr.  Kemble  ;  and  Mr.  Cheesebrough,  the 
resident  clergyman,  who  had  read  prayers  to  Mr.  Kemble 
when  he  could  attend  to  them,  and  was  with  him  when  he 
died,  performed  the  melancholy  ceremony  at  the  grave.  The 
age  of  sixty-six  was  recorded  on  the  coffin.  The  death  of 
Mr.  Kemble  was  sincerely  felt  by  all  persons  at  Lausanne, 
and  his  remains  were  followed  to  the  grave  by  all  the  resident 
English,  and  by  many  of  the  Swiss.  The  English,  indeed, 

E  3 


54t  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ, 

had  no  parties  during  the  week ;  and  one  foreign  lady  of 
fashion  put  off  a  splendid  assembly  on  account  of  Mr.  Kem- 
ble's  decease. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  letter  from  die  English  clergy- 
man resident  at  Lausanne  to  a  professional  gentleman  in 
London,  which  is  interesting,  inasmuch  as  it  is  in  itself  very 
amiable,  and  as  it  shows  the  serenity  and  virtue  of  Mr. 
Kemble's  domestic  life,  and  confirms  the  religious  peace  of 
his  death :  — 

"  Sir,  Lausanne,  Feb.  26.  1823. 

"  It  is  with  deep  regret  that  I  announce  to  you  an  afflicting 
;and  sudden  event,  the  decease  of  Mr.  Kemble,  who  breathed 
his  last  at  a  quarter  past  nine  o'clock  this  morning.  He  had 
been  Seized  with  an  apoplectic  attack  about  forty-eight  hours 
before  his  death;  and  though  it  was  not  of  any  very  alarming 
nature  at  first,  yet  it  was  no  less  fatal,  and  he  gradually  de- 
clined, till,  without  a  single  sigh  or  groan,  his  soul,  released 
from  its  earthly  tenement,  returned  to  Him  who  gave  it. 

"  During  a  week  or  more  prior  to  this  attack,  his  health 
seemed  more  satisfactory  than  for  months  before,  so  that  poor 
Mrs.  Kdmble  was  very  ill  provided  for  so  unexpected  a  blow, 
and  consequently  has  been  in  such  a  distressed  state  as  I  can- 
jriot  pretend  to  describe.  She  is,  indeed,  much  indisposed  at 
^present,  from  the  effects  of  a  violent  nervous  attack,  which 
seized  her  when  all  our  fears  of  her  husband  were  confirmed ; 
but  in  a  little  time  I  have  no  doubt  but  a  sense  of  her  religious 
duties,  In  addition  to  her  excellent  understanding,  will  con- 
xluce  to  her  amendment  and  resignation.  To  you,  Sir,  no 
comments  on  this  excellent  man's  character  here  are  necessary. 
I  will  only  say,  that  he  was  universally  beloved  by  both  his 
countrymen  and  natives,  and  that  I  am  deprived  of,  in  my 
little  flock,  a  most  pious  and  worthy  member  —  but  God's  will 
be  done  !  We  are  naturally  grieved  at  the  loss  of  what  was 
ever  amiable,  excellent,  and  of  good  report,  as  a  standing  ex- 
ample to  all  around ;  but  how  great,  on  reflection,  should  be 
our  joy,  that  the  feeble  praise  of  man  is  succeeded  by  the 


JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ.  53 

immortal  honour  and  approving  smile  of  the  best  and  greatest 
of  all  beings  ?  I  was  with  him  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
last  hours,  and  at  the  final  close ;  and  on  commending  his 
soul  to  his  gracious  keeping,  whose  blood  and  mediatorial 
power  could  alone  present  it  spotless  before  God,  I  could  not 
avoid  secretly  exclaiming,  c  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righ- 
teous, and  let  my  latter  end  be  like  his.' 

"It  is  by  Mrs.Kemble's  desire  that  I  write  to  you,  who,  with 
her  kindest  regards,  begs  you  will  take  upon  you,  as  early  as 
possible,  the  painful  task  of  communicating  it  to  Miss  Siddbns,* 
and  gradually  to  prepare  Mrs.  Siddons  for  such  an  afflicting 
stroke,  in  order  that  she  may  not  first  learn  it  from  any  other 
quarter.  Mrs.  Kemble's  poignancy  is  increased,  on  consi- 
dering what  will  be  ihe  agonizing  feelings  of  Mrs.  Siddons, 
but  calculates  much  on  your  kind  attention  herein.  I  have 
written  to  Mr.  Charles  Kemble  by  this  post.  I  beg  my  re^ 
spectful  compliments  to  Mrs.  Siddons ;  and  having  now  hastify 
fulfilled  my  truly  painful  duty, 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  remain,  &c.  &c." 

Some  public  testimony  of  respect  to  this  great  actor  has 
been  very  properly  talked  of;  and  indeed  the  Earl  of  Aber- 
deen, Lord  Holland,  Sir  James  Mackintosh,  and  a  few  other 
eminent  characters,  have  taken  steps  for  effecting  such  an 
object. 

The  following  we  believe  to  be  an  accurate  list  of  Mr. 
Kemble's  literary  productions  ;  original,  translated,  altered, 
and  adapted  to  the  modern  stage :  — 

ORIGINAL. 

FUGITIVE  PIECES,  —  a  small  volume  of  poems,  1780* 
BELISARIUS,  —  a   Tragedy,  acted  at  York,  1778;  never 
printed. 

FEMALE  OFFICER,  —  a  Farce,  acted  at  York,  1779;  after- 
wards called  "  Female  Projects,"  and  performed  at  Drury- 
Lane,  1786;  never  printed. 

£  4 


00  JOHN    PHILIP    KEMBLE,    ESQ. 

MACBETH  RECONSIDERED,  —  an  Essay,  &c.  8vo. 
MACBETH  AND  KING  RICHARD  THE  THIRD,  —  an  Essay, 
£c.  Crown  8vo.  1817. 

TRANSLATED. 

LODOISKA,  —  a  Musical  Drama  from  the  French,  1794-. 

ALTERED. 

OH  !  'TIS  IMPOSSIBLE, — from  the  "  Comedy  of  Errors," 
1 780 ;  never  printed. 

PANNEL, — a  Farce,  from  Bickerstaff's  Comedy,  "  'Tis 
well  'tis  no  worse,"  1788. 

FARM-HOUSE,  —  a  Comedy,  from  Charles  Johnson's 
"  Country  Lasses,"  1789. 

LOVE  IN  MANY  MASKS,  —  a  Comedy,  from  the  first  part 
of  Mrs.  Behn's  "Rover;"  1790. 

THE  PROGRAMME  of  ALEXANDER  THE  GREAT,  —  a  Panto- 
mine,  invented  by  M.  D'Egville  ;  1795. 

CELADON  AND  FLORIMEL;  or,  The  Happy  Counterplot; — 
a  Comedy,  from  Cibber's  "  Comical  Lovers,"  1796;  never 
drinted. 

ADAPTED    TO    THE    STAGE. 

All's  Well  that  Ends  Well ;  As  you  Like  it ;  Cymbeline  ; 
Coriolanus;  Cato;  Comedy  of  Errors ;  Double  Dealer;  De 
Montfort  (never  printed) ;  False  Friend  (never  printed) ; 
Henry  IV.,  part  1st;  Henry  IV.,  part  2d;  Henry  V; 
Henry  VIII;  Hamlet;  Julius  Caesar;  King  Lear;  King  John; 
Katharine  and  Petruchio  ;  Maid  of  Honour  (never  printed)  ; 
Merchant  of  Venice  ;  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor;  Much  Ado 
about  Nothing ;  Macbeth  ;  Measure  for  Measure ;  New  Way 
to  Pay  Old  Debts ;  Othello ;  Plain  Dealer ;  Richard  III ; 
Romeo  and  Juliet;  Rule  a  Wife  and  have  a  Wife;  Revenge; 
Tempest;  Twelfth  Night;  Two  Gentlemen  of  Verona;  Venice 
Preserved  ;  Winter's  Tale ;  Way  of  the  World. 


No.  III. 
CHARLES  HUTTON,  ESQ.  LL.D., 

FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL  SOCIETIES  OF  LONDON  AND  EDINBURGH, 
AND  OF  THE  PHILOSOPHICAL  SOCIETIES  OF  HAARLEM  AND 
AMERICA  ;  FOR  MANY  YEARS  PROFESSOR  OF  MATHEMATICS  IN 
THE  ROYAL  MILITARY  ACADEMY,  WOOLWICH. 

DR.  CHARLES  HUTTON  was  born  at  Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 
on  the  14th  of  Augitst,  1737.  He  was  descended  from  a 
family  in  Westmoreland,  one  branch  of  which  had  removed 
into  Northumberland,  another  branch  into  Lincolnshire,  where 
a  female  of  the  family  married  into  that  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton, 
being  indeed  the  aunt  of  that  illustrious  philosopher.  Dr. 
Hutton's  father,  though  not  a  man  of  theoretical  science,  had 
considerable  knowledge  and  skill  in  practical  mechanics,  and 
had  extensive  employment  as  a  viewer  of  mines ;  being  also 
for  some  years  land-steward  to  the  then  Lord  Ravensworth. 
He  intended  devoting  his  son  to  his  own  profession  ;  and  to. 
that  end  procured  for  him  the  best  instruction  which  could 
be  obtained  at  Newcastle,  and  from  a  clergyman  in  a  neigh- 
bouring village;  the  knowledge  he  thus  acquired  extending 
simply  to  the  rudiments  of  the  English  and  Latin  languages, 
and  the  leading  principles  of  mathematics. 

From  the  earliest  infancy  young  Hutton  manifested  an 
uncommon  simplicity,  and  docility  of  manners,  rendering  him 
the  favourite  of  all  his  acquaintance.  He  was  at  once  serious, 
sincere,  affectionate  and  devout.  When  a  boy  of  only  ten 
or  twelve  years  old,  he  wrought  himself  up  to  such  a  height 
of  enthusiasm  by  reading  some  old  devotional  tracts  (for  he 
eagerly  devoured  all  sorts  of  books  that  fell  in  his  way)  that 
among  other  acts  of  piety,  he  formed  a  little  retired  arbour,  in 


53  DR.    HUTTON. 

a  wood  through  which  his  path  lay,  that  he  might  step  aside  to 
pray  in  it,  for  a  few  minutes,  as  he  passed  to  and  from  school. 
A  little  after,  he  made  a  considerable  sacrifice  to  the  sincerity 
of  this  disposition,  by  destroying  all  the  ballads,  and  little 
"  Border"  legends  and  stories,  of  which  he  had  amassed  a 
great  number,  by  the  entire  sacrifice  of  the  money  from  time  to 
time  given  him ;  the  practice  of  collecting  what  he  considered 
curious  works  being  a  predominant  passion  with  him,  through 
all  the  stages  and  changes  of  his  life.  It  was  never  sufficient 
for  him  to  read  a  book,  and  then  part  with  it ;  it  was  ne- 
cessary that  he  should  possess  it  as  his  own,  and  add  it  to 
his  collection,  to  refer  to  on  any  occasion. 

The  youth  received  an  injury  in  one  of  his  arms  in  very 
early  life,  which,  by  unfitting  him  for  such  active  pursuits  as 
his  father  had  proposed  for  him,  rendered  it  necessary  that 
he  should  devote  himself  still  more  sedulously  to  study. 
When  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  choose  a  profession, 
the  natural  bent  of  his  inclination  led  to  that  of  a  mathemati- 
cal tutor ;  to  prepare  himself  for  which  he  laboured  day  and 
night,  with  unwearied  vigilance  and  assiduity. 

About  the  age  of  18,  having  long  before  lost  his  father,  and 
his  master  having,  upon  being  presented  with  a  living,  re- 
signed the  school  in  his  favour,  he  commenced  the  employ- 
ment of  a  teacher  of  mathematics,  at  the  then  delightfully 
sequestered  village  of  Jesmond,  near  Newcastle.  During  the 
short  period  of  his  residence  at  this  place  he  became  for  a 
time  a  close  and  zealous  follower  of  the  Methodists,  and  at 
length  ventured  to  write  sermons,  and  even  to  preach  among 
them.  This  turn  of  mind  left  him  on  his  removal  to  New- 
castle, that  noble  capital  of  the  northern  mining  districts,  to 
which,  in  consequence  of  his  success,  and  of  the  great  pro- 
ficiency of  many  of  his  pupils,  he  was  soon  invited. 

Here,  although  he  required  for  his  instructions  about 
double  the  terms  that  had  previously  been  charged  in  that 
quarter  of  the  kingdom,  his  pupils  soon  became  numerous ; 
among  them  he  had  the  honour  to  reckon  Lord  Eldon,  the 
present  Lord  Chancellor,  a  circumstance  which  will  be  fur- 


DR.    BUTTON.  5Q 

ther  noticed  towards  the  conclusion  of  this  memoir.  He 
did  not,  however,  confine  himself  to  the  mere  business  of 
instruction,  arduous  as  it  was ;  but  being  fired  by  the  laud- 
able ambition  of  reaching  the  acme  of  his  profession,  neither 
the  duties  of  his  immediate  occupation,  nor  the  cares  of  an 
increasing  family  (Dr.  Hutton  having  married  on  his  removal 
to  Newcastle),  could  deter  him  from  the  determination  to 
prosecute  an  extensive  course  of  mathematical  reading. 
This  he  pursued  chronologically,  going  cautiously  over  the 
principal  mathematical  productions  of  the  Greeks,  Romans, 
Spaniards,  French,  and  Germans,  as  well  as  those  which 
had  appeared  in  Britain.  Such  an  extensive  course  at  once 
proceeded  from  a  genuine  love  of  science,  and  increased  it ; 
and  this,  together  with  his  unfailing  success  as  a  preceptor, 
greatly  augmented  his  well-earned  reputation.  His  charac- 
ter became  accurately  appreciated  at  Newcastle,  so  that  he 
was  frequently  consulted  and  employed  in  reference  to  other 
important  points  than  those  which  related  immediately  to  his 
profession. 

Notwithstanding  the  multiplicity  of  his  avocations,  he 
found  time  for  investigation  and  composition,  and  made 
himself  known  to  the  world  as  an  author.  Before  the  year 
176X),  he  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  those  well-known 
publications  in  England,  the  "  Ladies'  and  Gentleman's  Dia- 
ries," and  "  Martin's  Magazine;"  in  all  of  which  he  pro- 
posed and  solved  many  mathematical  problems  of  consider- 
able difficulty  as  well  as  utility.  His  first  avowed  separate 
publication  was  a  small  treatise  on  "  Arithmetic  and 
Book-keeping,"  for  the  use  of  schools.  It  made  its  appear- 
ance in  the  year  1764-,  and  has  since  gone  through  nume- 
rous editions.  In  printing  the  first  edition,  to  supply  the 
want  of  proper  mathematical  types  in  so  distant  a  provincial 
town  as  Newcastle,  Dr.  Hutton  was  obliged  with  his  own 
hand  to  cut  with  a  penknife,  on  the  reversed  end  of  old  types, 
many  of  the  algebraical  characters  that  were  used  in  the  vul- 
gar fractions,  and  other  parts  of  the  work. 


60  DR.    HTJTTON. 

Soon  after  this,  he  began  to  employ  his  leisure  in  the  com- 
position of  a  much  more  elaborate  and  recondite  work,  viz. 
"  A  Treatise  on  Mensuration,  in  Theory  and  Practice."  At 
the  time  when  Dr.  Hutton  commenced  this  undertaking,  the 
books  on  mensuration  that  were  generally  adopted  in  se- 
minaries of  education  were  those  of  Hawney  and  Robertson. 
Of  these,  the  first  contained  some  attempts  at  theory,  but 
exhibited  in  so  inelegant  and  inaccurate  a  manner,  as  to  ren- 
der the  volume  altogether  useless.  Robertson's  work  was 
neat  and  correct,  but  limited  in  its  nature,  being  confined 
altogether  to  the  exhibition  of  practical  rules  and  examples. 
There  had  been,  it  is  true,  from  the  time  of  Wallis  and  Huy- 
gens,  and  especially  since  the  invention  of  the  fluxional 
analysis,  a  variety  of  disquisitions  and  investigations  relative  to 
rectifications,  quadratures,  cubatures,  &c.  inserted  in  the 
works  of  eminent  mathematicians,  and  in  the  transactions  of 
different  societies  and  academies,  both  at  home  and  abroad ; 
but  there  needed  some  masterly  hand  to  seize  and  collect 
these  scattered  fragments,  to  reduce  them  to  method  and 
order,  to  correct  what  was  erroneous,  curtail  what  was  too 
protracted,  expand  and  elucidate  what  was  incomplete  and 
obscure,  and  develop  with  perspicuity  the  practical  results 
and  applications.  All  this  is  attempted  with  complete  suc- 
cess in  this  Treatise  on  Mensuration,  which  was  first  published 
in  periodical  numbers,  and  then  altogether  in  a  quarto  vo- 
lume, in  the  year  1770.  A  second,  and  improved  edition, 
was  published  in  a  thick  octavo  volume  in  1788 ;  since  which 
time  there  have  appeared  two  more  editions.  There  can  be 
no  question  that  this  is  by  far  the  best  treatise  on  mensu- 
ration, in  its  several  branches,  wriich  has  yet  been  published 
in  any  country.  Indeed,  the  subject  is  so  exhausted  in  this 
performance,  that  subsequent  writers  upon  it,  at  least  in 
England,  have  attempted  little  else  than  mere  abridgments. 
The  author  treats  copiously  and  elegantly  of  plane  trigono- 
metry, the  determination  of  heights  and  distances,  the  areas 
of  right-lined  and  circular  figures,  the  mensuration  of  prisms, 
pyramids,  spheres,  &c.  polyhedrae,  solid  rings,  conic  sections, 


DR.    BUTTON.  6l 

their  rectification  and  quadrature,  the  cubature  and  compla- 
nation  of  solids  formed  by  the  rotation  of  conic  sections  upon 
their  axes  and  other  lines,  the  method  of  equidistant  ordi- 
nates  and  sections,  the  centro-baryc  method  of  determining 
the  measure  of  planes  and  solids  by  means  of  their  centre  of 
gravity,  &c.  The  practical  rules  are  presented  in  an  or- 
derly series,  and  applied  to  the  solution  of  numeral  examples; 
the  demonstrations  of  the  several  rules  are  thrown  into  the 
notes,  which  are  very  extensive,  and  present  a  most  valuable 
and  instructive  series  of  investigations  and  deductions  con- 
nected with  the  successive  topics  of  the  work.  These  are 
followed  by  comprehensive  and  elegant  treatises  on  land- 
surveying,  gauging,  artificers'  works,  and  timber  measuring. 
The  volume  concludes  with  an  extensive  table  of  the  areas  of 
circular  segments;  useful  both  in  the  computations  of  mensu- 
ration, and  in  the  determination  of  fluents  of  certain  kinds. 

About  the  years  1771  and  1772,  Dr.  Hutton  was  employed 
by  the  magistrates  of  Newcastle  as  the  most  proper  person  in 
that  place  to  make  an  accurate  survey  of  the  town  and 
county  of  the  town  of  Newcastle-upon-Tyne ;  a  tract  of 
many  miles  in  circuit,  and  a  town  which,  from  the  crooked- 
ness of  the  streets,  and  the  unevenness  of  the  ground,  is  per- 
haps the  most  difficult  of  any  one  in  the  island  to  measure. 
Of  this  tract  he  made  a  most  accurate  survey  and  plan,  which 
was  soon  after  engraved,  and  published  in  a  map,  consisting 
of  two  very  large  sheets  of  paper ;  containing  also  a  neat 
abridged  account  of  the  history,  trade,  and  population  of  the 
place. 

The  overthrow  of  Newcastle  bridge,  and  other  bridges 
across  the  river  Tyne,  in  November,  1771,  by  reason  of  a 
very  high  and  rapid  flood  in  that  river,  drew  our  author's 
attention  to  another  subject,  that  is  to  say,  the  theory  of 
the  equilibration  of  arches  and  piers.  The  result  of  his  in- 
vestigations was  laid  before  the  public  in  1772,  in  an  octavo 
tract,  on  "  The  Principles  of  Bridges  ;  containing  the  Ma- 
thematical Demonstrations  of  the  Properties  of  the  Arches, 
the  Thickness  of  the  Piers,  the  Force  of  the  Water  against  them, 


DR.    HUTTON. 

&c.  together  with  practicalObservations  and  Directions  drawn 
from  the  Whole."  This  performance  was  entirely  out  of 
print,  when,  on  occasion  of  Telford  and  Douglas's  project 
for  erecting  an  iron  bridge  over  the  Thames  at  London,  it 
was  republished  in  1801,  verbatim  from  the  Newcastle 
edition.  Dr.  Hutton  had  for  several  years  been  collecting 
materials  for  an  enlarged  and  improved  edition  of  this  trea-. 
tise,  among  which  were  theoretical  and  practical  observations 
on  several  of  the  most  celebrated  bridges  in  Italy  and  other 
parts  of  continental  Europe ;  but  these,  unfortunately  for  the 
world,  were  lost.  He  however  made  several  improvements, 
though  by  no  means  to  the  extent  which  he  had  contem- 
plated, in  the  edition  of  this  essay  which  appears  in  his  Col- 
lection of  Tracts  in  1812. 

About  the  year  1772,  also,  the  indefatigable  subject  of  this 
memoir  commenced  the  republication  of  the  "  Ladies'  Dia- 
ries," from  the  origin  of  the  series.  It  may  be  necessary  to 
inform  readers  who  are  not  Englishmen,  that,  more  than  a 
century  ago,  some  of  the  almanacks  published  in  England 
were  devoted  to  other  purposes  than  those  which  relate  to 
the  mere  calendar.  So  early  as  the  year  1704,  Mr  John 
Tipper,  with  some  ingenious  associates,  determined  to  pub^ 
lish  a  yearly  almanack,  which  should  have  the  farther  object 
of  promoting  literature,  science,  and  taste.  To  effect  this^ 
they  introduced  into  the  almanac  smart  jeux  d'esprits,  enig- 
mas, charades,  and  other  lively  compositions  in  prose  and 
poetry,  together  with  a  series  of  well-selected  problems  in 
criticism,  philosophy,  and  different  branches  of  mathematical 
science ;  which  were  to  be  proposed  for  investigation  in  one 
almanack,  arid  their  solutions  published  in  the  next.  This 
happy  plan  for  the  excitement  of  emulation,  and  the  pro- 
motion of  science,  was  found  to  be  highly  beneficial.  In 
174-1,  a  similar  annual  publication  appeared,  under  the  title  of 
the  "  Gentleman's  Diary."  Both  this  and  the  Ladies'  Diary 
have  ever  since  been  published  annually;  and,  as  several 
thousand  copies  of  each  are  sold,  they  have  been  found  to  be 
exceedingly  instrumental  in  exciting  and  augmenting  a  love 


DR.    HUTTON.  63 

of  literature  and  science  among  the  middle  classes  of  society 
in  England.  From  a  full  persuasion  of  the  utility  of  such  an 
undertaking,  Dr.  Hutton  determined  to  republish  the  whole 
of  the  poetical  and  mathematical  departments  of  the  Ladies' 
Diaries  periodically.  As  he  proceeded,  he  gave  new  and 
improved  solutions  to  many  of  the  problems.  He  also  in~ 
serted  in  each  successive  number  of  his  publication  a  series 
of  new  and  curious  problems  ;  while,  in  several  numbers, 
there  appeared  valuable  disquisitions,  by  himself  arid  his 
correspondents,  on  a  variety  of  subjects,  connected  both  with 
pure  and  with  mixed  mathematics.  These  were  afterwards  pub- 
lished separately,  under  the  title  of  "  The  Mathematical  Mis- 
cellany," in  a  single  volume  :  the  poetical  and  mathematical 
parts  of  the  Ladies'  Diaries,  down  to  the  year  1773,  con- 
stitute five  additional*  volumes.  Though  humble  in  their 
appearance,  they  are  by  no  means  despicable  in  value. 
They  contain  many  interesting  and  useful  investigations,  by 
Emerson,  Simpson,  Dunthorne,  Heath,  Rollinson,  Hutton, 
Wildbore,  Vince,  Landen,  and  others  who  have  contributed 
to  the  advancement  of  mathematical  science  in  Britain. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  printing  of  the  foregoing  works 
at  Newcastle  happily  proved  the  occasion  of  bringing  into 
public  notice  one  of  the  most  admirable  wood-engravers  that 
the  world  ever  beheld,  in  the  person  of  the  ingenious  Mr.  Be- 
wick. There  was  no  artist  at  that  time  in  Newcastle  pro- 
fessedly capable  of  engraving  in  wood  the  necessary  figures. 
There  was,  however,  a  very  ingenious  young  man,  Mr.  Ralph 
Beilby,  a  seal -engraver,  who,  assisted  by  Dr.  Hutton,  pro- 
duced such  excellent  specimens  in  these  works,  that  the 
Bishop  of  Norwich  employed  him,  in  consequence,  to  exe- 
cute the  engravings  for  his  complete  edition  of  Newton.  So 
great  a  quantity  of  business  of  this  kind,  both  for  the  works 
of  Newton,  and  for  Dr.  Hutton's  three  books,  induced 
Mr.  Beilby  to  unite  with  himself  in  the  execution  of  it 
his  pupil  and  assistant  Mr.  Bewick,  who  afterwards  rose  to 
such  eminence  in  the  art,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  its  pre- 
sent perfection. 


64  DR.    HUTTON. 

To  return  to  Dr.  Hutton  :  labours  like  those  which  we 
have  already  enumerated  soon  led  him  into  a  most  extensive 
correspondence,  and  procured  for  him  a  very  exalted  re- 
putation ;  such,  indeed,  as  occasioned  his  removal  to  a  si- 
tuation of  great  importance,  as  well  as  respectability.  The 
Professorship  of  Mathematics  in  the  Royal  Military  Aca- 
demy at  Woolwich  became  vacant,  in  consequence  of  the 
resignation  of  Mr.  J.  L.  Cowley;  and  the  Marquis  Town- 
send,  at  that  time  Master-General  of  the  Ordnance,  formed 
the  laudable  determination  of  giving  the  appointment  to  the 
individual,  who,  by  a  public  examination,  should  prove  him- 
self best  qualified  to  discharge  the  duties  of  a  mathematical 
professor.  Dr.  Hutton  was  persuaded  by  his  friend  Colonel 
Edward  Williams,  of  the  Royal  Artillery,  himself  a  mathe- 
matician of  considerable  acquirements,  to  become  a  candidate 
for  the  situation.  His  natural  diffidence,  which  was  at  all 
times  as  remarkable  as  his  talents,  caused  him  at  first  to 
shrink  from  all  desire  to  obtain  a  professorial  chair,  which 
had  previously  been  occupied  by  one  so  deservedly  eminent 
as  Thomas  Simpson  :  but  his  friends  at  length  overcame  his 
scruples,  and  he  travelled  from  Newcastle  to  Woolwich,  a 
distance  of  300  miles,  to  propose  himself  as  a  candidate. 
He  had  no  less  than  ten  competitors,  among  whom  were 
Mr.  Benjamin  Donn,  the  author  of  "  The  Geometrician," 
and  other  well-known  works,  and  Mr.  Hugh'  Brown,  the 
able  translator  and  commentator  upon  "  Euler's  Gunnery." 
The  gentlemen  appointed  to  conduct  the  examination  were, 
Dr.  Maskelyne,  then  Astronomer  Royal ;  Bishop  Horsley, 
the  learned  editor  of  Newton's  works ;  and  Col.  Henry  Watson, 
translator  of  Euler's  Treatise  o;i  the  Construction  of  Ships, 
and  afterwards  Chief  Engineer  in  Bengal.  To  all  these  gen- 
tlemen Dr.  Hutton  was  entirely  unknown,  except  by  cha- 
racter. At  the  time  appointed,  the  competitors  attended  the 
Board  of  Examiners,  by  whom  they  were  separately  ex- 
amined, to  prevent  any  one  from  taking  advantage  of  the 
examination  of  the  others.  Indeed  nothing  could  be  fairer, 
nor  apparently  more  impartial  on  the  part  of  the  examiners, 


DR.  HUTTON.  65 

nor  could  any  examination  be  better  conducted  to  answer 
completely  the  good  and  wise  intentions  of  the  Master-ge- 
neral. Every  candidate  was  closely  questioned  in  the  several 
branches  of  the  mathematical  sciences;  concerning  their 
principles  and  properties ;  the  knowledge  and  choice  of  books 
and  authors,  both  ancient  and  modern  ;  the  various  and  best 
modes  of  teaching  those  sciences,  with  every  other  requisite 
that  seemed  necessary  in  the  qualification  for  such  an  office. 
This  examination  occupied  the  whole  day  till  late  in  the 
evening,  and  at  its  conclusion  the  examiners  delivered,  to 
every  candidate  a  large  collection  of  very  difficult  problems, 
in  the  more  abstruse  parts  of  the  mathematical  and  philoso- 
phical sciences,  requesting  their  attendance  again  at  the  end 
of  a  week,  with  such  solutions  to  those  problems  as  they 
might  be  able  to  make  out. 

They  met  again  accordingly ;  and  though  all  his  com?. 
petitors  were  in  a  manner  at  home,  among  their  friends,  and 
in  the  midst  of  their  books,  to  assist  them  in  making  out  so- 
lutions to  their  problems,  advantages  of  which  Dr.  Hutton 
was  debarred  by  his  peculiar  situation,  yet  his  knowledge 
and  talents  triumphed  over  all  difficulties.  In  conclusion,  die 
Board  of  Examiners  drew  up  an  unanimous  report  of  their 
proceedings  to  the  Master-general  and  board  officers,  stating, 
that  though  most  of  the  candidates  were  sufficiently  well 
qualified  for  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  office  which 
was  the  object  of  their  competition,  yet  that  there  was  one 
among  them,  a  Mr.  Charles  Hutton,  whom  they  found  it 
their  duty  in  a  more  particular  manner  to  recommend  to  his 
Lordship's  notice,  on  account  of  the  very  able  manner  in 
which  he  had  answered  all  their  questions,  and  on  account  of 
his  very  extensive  reading  and  acquirements. 

A  few  days  after,  namely,  on  the  24-th  of  May,  1773,  Dr. 
Hutton  received  at  his  lodgings,  notice  of  his  appointment  to 
the  office  from  the  Master-general,  who  had  never  so  much 
as  heard  of  his  name  before.  A  noble  example  !  and  one 
well  worthy  of  imitation. 

VOL.  vin.  r 


66  DR.  HUTTON. 

About  the  same  time  he  was  appointed  by  the  Stationers' 
Company  the  editor  of  "  The  Ladies'  Diary,"  and  shortly 
afterwards  that  truly  respectable  body  entrusted  to  him  the 
astronomical  computation  and  management  of  the  principal 
almanacks  which  they  publish.  These  he  continued  to  con- 
duct, with  great  honour  to  himself,  and  advantage  to  the 
company,  until  the  year  1818,  when  they  liberally  consigned 
this  important  charge  to  the  friend  whom  Dr.  Hutton  re- 
commended to  them ;  and  who,  indeed,  had  some  years  ear- 
lier been  entrusted  with  the  superintendence  of  the  "  Gen- 
tleman's Diary,"  and  another  almanack.* 

Shortly  after  Dr.  Hutton's  removal  to  Woolwich,  he  was 
elected  a  fellow  of  the  Royal  Society,  and  about  the  year 
1779  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  the  University  of 
Edinburgh ;  his  friends,  Dr.  Matthew  Stewart,  and  Mr.  Du- 
gald  Stewart,  (men  equally  eminent  in  their  respective  depart- 
ments,) being  at  that  time  joint  professors  of  mathematics 
there.  In  January,  1779,  he  was  appointed  Foreign  Secre- 
tary to  the  Royal  Society;  an  office  which  he  held  till  the  end 
of  the  year  1783,  when,  in  consequence  of  the  dissensions 
which  unhappily  prevailed  in  the  Society,  and  the  aversion 
and  disrelish  which  were  then  evinced  with  respect  to  the 
mathematical  sciences,  by  some  of  the  leading  officers  and 
members,  he  retired  from  the  Society,  together  with  Dr.  Mas- 
kelyne,  Dr.  Horsley,  and  other  eminent  mathematicians.  The 
evils  which  flowed  from  those  sad  disputes  are  now,  it  is 
hoped,  rapidly  wearing  away. 

Dr.  Hutton  devoted  himself  very  sedulously  to  the  dis- 
charge of  his  academical  duties ;  yet  found  time,  notwith- 
standing, to  pursue  a  variety  of  interesting  analytical  investi- 
gations, as  well  as  to  plan  some  extensive  and  important 
experimental  enquiries,  arising  naturally  out  of  his  appoint- 
ment at  Woolwich.  Among  the  papers  which  about  this 
period  he  sent  to  the  Royal  Society,  was  one  published  in 
the  Philosophical'Transactions  for  1776,  entitled  "  A  New 
and  General  Method  of  finding  Simple  and  Quickly  Con- 

Dr.  Gregory. 


DR.  HUTTON.  67 

verging  Series ;  by  which  the  Proportion  of  the  Diameter  of 
a  Circle  to  its  Circumference  may  easily  be  computed  to  a 
great  Number  of  Figures."  The  method  here  proposed  is  a 
general  one,  which,  while  it  is  more  universal  than  those  of 
Machin,  Euler,  and  R.  Simson,  includes  their  serieses,  and 
at  the  same  time  furnishes  a  great  variety  of  other  serieses  of 
rapid  convergency. 

A  short  quotation  from  the  Doctor's  paper  will  serve  to 
explain  the  principles  on  which  he  proceeds. 

"  The  method  consists  in  finding  out  such  small  arcs  as 
have  for  tangents  some  small  and  simple  vulgar  fractions, 
the  radius  being  denoted  by  1,  and  such  also  that  some  mul- 
tiple of  those  arcs  shall  differ  from  an  arc  of  4-5°,  the  tangent 
of  which  is  equal  to  the  radius,  by  other  small  arcs,  which 
also  shall  have  tangents  denoted  by  other  such  small  and 
simple  vulgar  fractions.  For  it  is  evident,  that  if  such  a 
small  arc  can  be  found,  some  multiple  of  which  has  such 
a  proposed  difference  from  an  arc  of  4-5°,  then  the  length  of 
these  two  small  arcs  will  be  easily  computed  from  the  general- 
series,  because  of  the  smallness  and  simplicity  of  their  tan- 
gents ;  after  which,  if  the  proper  multiple  of  the  first  arc  be 
increased  or  diminished  by  the  other  arc,  the  result  will  be 
the  length  of  an  arc  of  45°,  or  one-eighth  of  the  circum- 
ference. And  the  manner  in  which  I  discover  such  arcs  is 
this: 

"  Let  T,  t,  denote  any  two  arcs,  of  which  T  is  the  greater, 
and  t  the  less  :  then  it  is  known  that  the  tangent  of  the  dif- 

T i 

ference  of  the  corresponding  arcs  is  equal  to Hence, 

if  /,  the  tangent  of  the  smaller  arc,  be  successively  denoted 
by  each  of  the  simple  fractions,  |,  J,  -J,  £,  &c.,  the  general 
expression  for  the  tangent  of  the  difference  between  the  arcs 

2T— 1     3T— I     4T—1     5T— 1 

will  become  respectively  —       

2  +  T       3  +  T       4  +  T      5  +  T, 

&c. ;  so  that  if  T  be  expounded  by  any  given  number,  then 
these  expressions  will  give  the  tangent  of  the  difference  of  the 
arcs  in  known  numbers,  according  to  the  values  of  t,  se- 

F  2 


68  DR.  BUTTON. 

verally  assumed  respectively.  And  if,  in  the  first  place,  T 
be  equal  to  1,  the  tangent  of  45°,  the  foregoing  expressions 
will  give  the  tangent  of  an  arc,  which  is  equal  to  the  dif- 
ference between  that  of  45°  and  the  first  arc;  or  that  of 
which  the  tangent  is  one  of  the  numbers  J,  -J,  £,  i,  £c. 
Then,  if  the  tangent  of  this  difference,  just  now  found,  be 
taken  for  T,  the  same  expressions  will  give  the  tangent  of  an 
arc,  equal  to  the  difference  between  that  of  4-5°  and  the 
triple  of  the  first  arc.  And  again,  taking  this  last  found 
tangent  for  T,  the  same  theorem  will  produce  the  tangent 
of  an  arc  equal  to  the  difference  between  that  of  4-5°  and  the 
quadruple  of  the  first  arc;  and  so  on,  always  taking  for  T 
the  tangent  last  found,  the  same  expressions  will  give  the 
tangent  of  the  difference  between  the  arc  of  45°  and  the  next 
greater  multiple  of  the  first  arc ;  or  that  of  which  the  tan- 
gent was  at  first  assumed  equal  to  one  of  the  small  numbers 
i>  i'  i>  y>  &c«  This  operation,  being  continued  till  some 
of  the  expressions  give  such  a  fit,  small,  and  simple  fraction 
as  is  required,  is  then  at  an  end ;  for  we  have  then  found 
two  such  small  tangents  as  were  required,  viz.  the  tangent 
last  found,  and  the  tangent  first  assumed." 

The  Doctor  exemplifies  this  method  by  a  variety  of  sub- 
stitutions, and  thus  obtains  a  collection  of  very  valuable  se- 
ries ;  of  which,  however,  it  may  suffice  to  present  one  or 
two  in  this  place.  Thus,  in  the  case  of  t  —  -J-,  the  expression 

4T— 1  f  3     7      5     79 

gives,  tor  the  successive  tangents  -  g-  ^  _,    &c. 


of  which  the  third  is  a  convenient  number,  and  gives  for  A, 
the  arc  of  45  , 

A^= 


+     99  3.99*       5.994        7.99° 

This  is,  obviously,  a  very  compendious  series  for  operation, 
since  99  is  resolvable  into  the  two  simple  factors  9  and  11. — 
Another  excellent  series  is  the  following : 


DR.  HUTTON.  69 

4-  4  8a         12/3 

—    X   (  1  +  -  +  -  4-  —  ~  +  &c, 
5  3.10       5.10       7.10 

7  4  8a          12/3 

57TOO  +       - 


Where,  a,  /3,  y,  8,  £c.  denote  always  the  preceding  terms  in 
each  series.  For  other  valuable  serieses  the  reader  may 
consult  the  paper  itself;  which  is  now  inserted  in  the  first 
volume  of  the  collection  of  Dr.  Hutton's  Tracts,  in  octavo. 

In  the  Philosophical  Transactions  for  1778  appeared 
Dr.  Hutton's  first  paper,  "  On  the  Force  of  exploded  Gun- 
powder, and  the  Velocities  of  Balls  projected  from  Artillery." 
The  experiments  detailed  in  this  paper  commenced  in  the 
year  1773,  and  were  carried  on  by  a  consecutive  series  till 
a  short  time  before  the  preparation  of  this  account  of  them. 
The  paper  contains  a  neat  explication  of  the  theory  of  the 
Ballistic  Pendulum,  together  with  an  investigation  of  the 
effects  of  friction,  the  resistance  of  the  air,  the  time  of  pene- 
tration of  the  ball,  &c.  ;  these  are  followed  by  a  description 
of  the  machinery,  an  account  of  the  experiments,  and  a 
synopsis  of  the  principal  results  and  deductions  which  they 
furnish.  This  paper  was  no  sooner  laid  before  the  Royal 
Society,  than  its  ingenuity  and  value  were  acknowledged  : 
the  council  awarded  to  Dr.  Hutton  the  Copleian  prize  of  a 
gold  medal,  which  was  delivered  to  him,  with  an  appropriate 
speech,  (since  published,)  by  Sir  John  Pringle,  then  President 
of  the  Royal  Society. 

A  proof  of  the  high  estimation  of  this  paper,  even  abroad, 
has  been  recently  published  in  the  life  of  the  celebrated  La- 
grange,  by  the  Chevalier  Delambre,  who  states,  that  at  the 
most  violent  period  of  the  French  Revolution,  all  foreigners 
were  peremptorily  ordered  to  quit  France,  and  Lagrange,  a 
native  of  Italy,  was  of  course  included  ;  but  his  colleagues  of 
the  Institute  presented  a  memorial  to  the  Convention,  solicit- 
ing permission  for  him  to  remain  at  Paris,  as  he  was  then  en- 
gaged in  experiments  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  country, 
namely,  upon  "  Dr.  Hutton's  Treatise  on  the  Force  of  fired 

r  3 


70  DR.  HUTTON. 

Gunpowder."  On  this  plea,  an  exception  was  decreed  in 
Lagrange's  favour.  He  was  permitted  to  continue  his  re- 
searches, though  it  does  not  appear  that  he  made  any  report 
on  the  subject ;  from  which  it  may  be  inferred,  that  he  found 
no  ground  either  for  improvement  or  for  animadversion. 

In  the  same  year  (1778)  our  author  laid  before  the  Royal 
Society  his  "  Account  of  the  Calculations  made  from  the 
Survey  and  Measures  taken  at  Mount  Shichallin,  in  Perth- 
shire, in  order  to  ascertain  the  Mean  Density  of  the  Earth." 
This  is  a  truly  excellent  disquisition,  and  the  calculations,  of 
which  it  exhibits  the  results,  were  more  laborious,  and  at  the 
same  time  called  for  more  ingenuity,  than  has  probably  been 
brought  into  action  in  any  computation  undertaken  by  a 
single  person  since  the  preparation  of  logarithmic  tables. 
The  survey,  and  the  astronomical  observations  upon  which 
these  calculations  were  founded,  were  made  partly  by  the 
direction,  and  partly  under  the  inspection,  of  Dr.  Maskelyne, 
who  explained  them  pretty  fully  in  the  Philosophical  Trans- 
actions for  1775.  In  that  paper  he  adverted  to  some  of  the 
advantages  which  might  accrue  from  these  observations ;  yet, 
notwithstanding  his  well-known  zeal,  diligence,  and  scientific 
acquirements,  he  declined  the  computations,  as  too  laborious. 
Dr.  Hutton,  on  the  solicitation  of  the  President  and  Council 
of  the  Royal  Society,  undertook  the  work ;  and,  after  the  con- 
stant labour  of  nearly  a  year,  laid  the  results  before  the  So- 
ciety in  the  paper  whose  title  is  above  given.  To  form  an 
adequate  estimate  of  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  requisite  com- 
putations, the  reader  must  peruse  the  dissertation  itself:  the  re- 
sults alone  can  here  be  spoken  of.  In  Dr.  Hutton's  original  in- 
vestigations, the  assumed  density  of  the  hill  appears  to  have 
been  too  low ;  he  thence  deduced  4-*  for  the  mean  density  of 
the  earth,  that  of  water  being  unity.  Of  the  probably  erro- 
neous assumption,  however,  he  was  soon  aware;  and  about 
fourteen  years  ago  he  requested  Mr.  Professor  Playfair,  of 
Edinburgh,  to  examine  attentively  the  geological  structure  of 
the  mountain,  and  furnish  him  with  more  correct  data  as  to  the 
nature  and  proportions  of  its  constituent  matter.  From  the 


DR.  HUTTON.  71 

particulars  thus  obtained,  the  Doctor  inferred  that  the  mean 
density  of  Shichallin  was  about  2f ,  and  the  resulting  mean  den. 
sity  of  the  earth,  -ff,  or  nearly  5.  This  result  he  published  in 
1808,  in  the  New  Abridgment  of  the  Philosophical  Trans- 
actions :  it  has  been  completely  confirmed  by  Professor  Play- 
fair,  in  an  independent  investigation  given  in  the  Philosophical 
Transactions  for  1811. 

It  is  but  a  piece  of  justice  to  solicit  a  marked  attention  to 
this  statement,  because,  though  Dr.  Hutton  was  unques- 
tionably the  first  person  who  made  a  tolerably  correct  appre- 
ciation of  the  mean  density  of  the  earth,  by  elaborate  compu- 
tations applied  to  actual  experiment,  through  some  strange 
fatality,  his  name  is  usually  omitted  in  the  enumeration  of 
those  philosophers  who  have  in  any  way  contributed  to  this 
important  result. 

While  our  investigator  was  engaged  in  these  researches,  he 
turned  his  attention  to  some  analagous  enquiries,  calculated 
to  be  useful  to  those  who  might  in  other  places  repeat  experi- 
ments and  observations  similar  to  those  at  Shichallin.  These 
were  read  to  the  Royal  Society  in  November,  1779,  and  after- 
wards published  in  their  Transactions  under  the  title  of  "  Cal- 
culations to  determine  at  what  Point  in  the  Side  of  a  Hill  its 
Attraction  will  be  the  greatest." 

During  the  following  year  (1780)  Dr.  Hutton  presented 
to  the  Royal  Society  a  curious  essay,  "  On  Cubic  Equa- 
tions, and  Infinite  Series,"  containing  much  that  was  then 
new  and  valuable. 

In  the  year  1781,  Dr.  Hutton  prepared  "  Tables  of 
Powers  and  Products,"  which  were  published  by  the  Board  of 
Longitude. 

In  the  year  1 783  he  made  his  last  communication  to  the 
Royal  Society,  being  his  "  Project  for  a  New  Division  of  the 
Quadrant."  The  object  of  the  author  was  to  adapt  the  tables 
of  sines,  tangents,  and  secants,  to  equal  parts  of  the  radius, 
instead  of  to  equal  parts  of  the  quadrantal  arc.  He  proposed 
to  adopt  the  decimal  division  of  the  radius  into  100,000  equal 

r  4 


7  DR.  BUTTON. 

parts,  and  exhibited  several  useful  formulae  (now  well  known) 
to  facilitate  the  computations.  To  the  construction  of  tables 
consistently  with  this  new  principle,  he  very  sedulously  devoted 
himself,  with  some  -able  coadjutors:  but  the  appearance  of 
the  new  tables  in  France,  according  to  the  decimal  division 
of  the  quadrant,  induced  him  to  abandon  his  project. 

In  the  year  1784  appeared  the  first  edition  of  "  The  Com- 
pendious Measurer."  This  is  a  popular  abridgment  of  the 
Doctor's  Treatise  of  Mensuration,  in  which  all  the  demon- 
strations are  omitted  ;  but  a  great  portion  of  the  rules,  exam- 
ples, and  applications,  retained.  The  work  has  been  very 
generally  adopted  in  English  schools,  and  has  gone  through 
several  editions. 

A  far  more  copious  and  elaborate  performance  was  laid  be- 
fore the  world  in  the  succeeding  year,  1785.  It  was  entitled 
"  Mathematical  Tables  :  containing  Common,  Hyperbolic, 
and  Logistic  Logarithms.  Also  Sines,  Tangents,  Secants,  and 
Versed-sines,  both  Natufal  and  Logarithmic.  Together  with 
several  other  Tables,  useful  in  mathematical  calculations.  To 
which  is  prefixed  a  large  and  original  History  of  the  Dis- 
coveries and  Writings  relating  to  those  Subjects ;  with  the 
-complete  Description  and  Use  of  the  Tables."  This  work, 
which  is  comprised  in  a  thick  volume,  royal  octavo,  was  oc- 
casioned by  the  extreme  incorrectness  of  the  Tables  of  Logar- 
ithms by  Sherwin  and  Gardiner.  On  examining  those  tables, 
the  Doctor  found  many  thousand  errors,  which  he  most  care- 
fully corrected.  In  publishing  them  afresh,  he  introduced 
many  additions  and  improvements,  and  arranged  the  large 
tables,  as  well  as  the  smaller  ones  of  proportional  parts,  much 
more  commodiously  than  they  had  ever  before  been :  he  also 
inserted  in  the  volume  some  tables  that  were  completely  new. 
Farther,  he  introduced  several  striking  improvements  in  the 
description  and  use  of  the  whole,  in  the  computations  by 
logarithms,  and  in  the  resolution  of  plane  and  spherical  tri- 
angles; especially  the  latter.  But  the  most  interesting  portion 
of  this  able  volume,  is  the  extensive  and  erudite  introduction 
which  Dr.  Hutton  prefixed  to  the  tables.  It  contains  a  suf- 


DR.  HUTTON.  73 

ficiently  copious,  and  extremely  fair  and  impartial  historical 
account  of  early  trigonometrical  writings  and  tables,  both  na- 
tural and  logarithmic.  The  inventions  and  improvements 
in  logarithms  are  adequately  traced ;  inventions  are  assigned 
to  their  proper  authors  ;  the  peculiarities  of  Napier,  Briggs, 
Kepler,  Vlacq,  Gregory,  Mercator,  Newton,  &c.,  are  properly 
discriminated ;  and  their  respective  claims  distributed  with 
admirable  impartiality,  by  means  of  immense  labour  and 
extensive  reading.  This  work  has  been  highly  approved 
in  England,  and  has  gone  through  five  large  editions. 

'In  the  succeeding  year,  1786,  Dr.  Hiuton  published  a 
quarto  volume  of  "Tracts,  Mathematical  and  Philosophical." 
Among  the  interesting  contents  of  this  volume  are,  a  disser- 
tation on  the  nature  and  value  of  infinite  series  ;  a  new  method 
for  the  valuation  of  numeral  infinite  series,  whose  terms  are 
alternately  +  and  — ,  by  taking  continual  arithmetical  means 
between  the  successive  sums,  and  their  means;  a  method 
of  summing  the  series  a  -j-  bx  +  ex1  +  dx*  -{-ex4  -f- ,  &c.,  when 
it  converges  very  slowly ;  the  investigation  of  a  general  rule 
for  extracting  roots ;  new  methods  for  the  roots  of  equations ; 
a  demonstration  of  the  truth  of  the  binomial  theorem  in  the 
case  of  fractional  exponents  ;  curious  properties  of  the  common 
secUQn  of  a  sphere  and  cone;  the  geometrical  division  of  circles 
and  ellipses  into  any  number  of  parts  that  shall  be  equal  both 
in  area  and  in  perimeter ;  and,  lastly,  a  copious  and  instructive 
tract  relating  to  experiments  and  deductions  by  means  of  the 
ballistic  pendulum. 

Our  indefatigable  author,   who,   at  this  period  of  his  life, 
seems  to  have   thought  every  year  lost  in   which  he  did  not 
present  to  the  public  some  new  work,  published,    in  1787, 
"  Elements  of  Conic  Sections,  with  Select  Exercises  in  various 
Branches    of  Mathematics   and   Philosophy ;  for  the  Use  of 
the  Royal  Military  Academy  at  Woolwich."     In  that  part  of 
this  work  which  relates  to  the  conic  sections,  the  propositions, 
although  demonstrated  in  a  manner  that  is  strictly  geometrical, 
have  this  peculiarity,  that  only  the  first  property  of  each  section 
is  demonstrated  from  the  cone  itself;  all  the  subsequent  proper- 


74)  DR.  HUTTON. 

ties  being  derived  from  the  first,  or  from  each  other,  by  ob- 
vious and  legitimate  processes,  without  any  arbitrary  descrip- 
tions of  the  curves  in  piano.  The  treatise  on  conic  sections 
occupies  rather  more  than  half  the  volume ;  the  remainder  is 
devoted  to  select  problems  and  exercises  in  various  branches 
of  mathematics.  An  interesting  portion  of  these  relates  to  the 
application  of  the  modern  analysis  to  the  doctrine  of  forces, 
as  evinced  in  dynamics,  hydrodynamics,  &c.  This  portion 
is  enriched  with  some  problems,  then  new,  and  always  useful, 
relative  to  the  times  of  filling  and  emptying  the  ditches  of  for- 
tifications, &c.  with  water,  entering  them,  or  evacuating,  under 
certain  circumstances.  These  problems  were  proposed  at  an 
examination  of  the  gentlemen  cadets,  by  his  Grace  the  Duke 
of  Richmond,  then  Master-general  of  the  Ordnance ;  who 
warmly  patronized  Dr.  Hutton's  work,  and,  on  its  publication, 
presented  Dr.  Hutton  at  court  to  his  Majesty. 

For  several  years  after  the  publication  of  the  last- mentioned 
volume,  Dr.  Hutton  employed  his  leisure  from  academical 
duties  in  the  composition  of  his  "  Mathematical  and  Philoso- 
phical Dictionary,"  which  made  its  appearance  in  1796,  in  two 
large  quarto  volumes.  This  was  a  work  of  great  labour, 
and  has  been  regarded  by  the  British  public  as  of  consider- 
able value.  From  the  nature  of  such  an  undertaking,  it  must 
evidently  contain  much  that  is  not  original :  it,  however,  con-, 
tains  much  also  that  is  perfectly  new.  Many  of  the  articles  are 
delivered  with  remarkable  perspicuity;  and  considerable  pa- 
tience, impartiality,  and  research,  are  evinced  in  several  of  the 
historical  disquisitions.  Of  this,  the  comprehensive  history 
of  algebra  is  an  interesting  specimen.  The  biographical 
sketches  of  the  most  eminent  mathematicians  and  philosophers 
are  often  given  with  much  spirit,  and  always  with  fidelity. 
On  the  whole,  this  is  a  work  which  the  student  of  mathema- 
tics and  natural  philosophy  may  consult  with  pleasure,  and 
frequently  with  considerable  advantage.  A  new  and  greatly 
enlarged  edition,  with  many  improvements,  was  published  in 
1815. 


DR.  BUTTON.  75 

In  1798  appeared  the  first  edition  of  Di\  Button's  "  Course 
of  Mathematics,"  in  two  octavo  volumes,  for  the  use  of  the 
gentlemen  cadets  in  the  Royal  Military  Academy.  This 
has  gone  through  several  editions.  In  1811,  a  third  volume 
of  this  Course  was  published :  it  was  written  by  the  Doctor, 
in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Gregory.  This  Course  is  too  well 
known,  and  too  widely  circulated,  to  need  any  minute  descrip- 
tion. The  same  may  be  remarked  of  Dr.  Hutton's  translation, 
with  notes  and  improvements,  of  the  "  Mathematical  and  Phi- 
losophical Recreations  of  Ozanam,"  as  enlarged  and  modern- 
ized by  M.  Montucla. 

From  1803  to  1809  our  author  was  employed,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Doctors  Pearson  and  Shaw,  in  laying  before  the 
world  an  "  Abridgment  of  the  Philosophical  Transactions  of 
the  Royal  Society  of  London,  from  their  Commencement  in 
1665,  to  the  End  of  the  last  Century."  This  important  work, 
for  his  share  in  the  execution  of  which  Dr.  Hutton  is  said 
to  have  received  no  less  a  sum  than  six  thousand  pounds,  is 
comprehended  in  eighteen  thick  volumes  in  quarto.  It  was  pub- 
lished in  monthly  "  parts,"  of  which  four  constituted  a  volume. 
The  departments  of  pure  and  mixed  mathematics,  including 
the  practice  as  well  as  the  theory,  of  mechanics,  hydrody- 
namics, optics,  astronomy,  electricity,  and  magnetism,  were 
undertaken  by  Dr.  Hutton,  in  addition  to  the  general  editor- 
ship and  correction  of  the  press  of  the  whole.  The  greater 
portion  of  the  biographical  articles,  as  well  as  of  the  transla- 
tions, were  from  the  Doctor's  pen ;  and  every  competent 
judge  will  admit  that  they  do  him  considerable  honour.  To 
this  valuable  abridgment  there  are  attached  several  interest- 
ing notes,  besides  those  which  are  merely  biographical  ;  so 
that,  altogether,  these  volumes  must  be  considered  as  a  rich 
acquisition  to  all  persons,  especially  foreigners,  who  have  not 
the  means  of  regularly  consulting  the  original  volumes  of  the 
Transactions. 

In  July,  1807,  Dr.  Hutton  having  suffered  much  from  a 
pulmonary  complaint  during  the  preceding  winter  and  spring, 
resigned  his  Professorship  at  Woolwich,  after  having  most 


7f)  DR.  HUTTON. 

honourably  filled  it  for  upwards  of  34  years.  On  his  retire- 
ment, the  Board  of  Ordnance  assigned  him  a  pension  of 
^500  per  annum,  in  testimony  of  regard  for  his  long  and 
faithful  services :  and,  as  he  had  previously  acquired  a  very 
handsome  fortune,  by  the  profits  upon  his  laudable  exertions, 
he  fixed  his  abode  in  Bedford  Row,  London,  where,  until  the 
time  of  his  decease,  he  enjoyed  his  otium  cum  dignitate, 
heightened  by  the  sweets  of  domestic  intercourse,  and  the 
occasional  society  of  his  friends.  Occasionally,  too,  during 
the  first  ten  years  of  his  retirement  from  Woolwich,  he  con- 
ducted the  half-yearly  examinations  at  the  Royal  Military 
Academy,  by  the  results  of  which  the  new  commissions  in 
the  Royal  Artillery  and  Engineers  were  determined,  as  also 
the  examinations  at  the  East  India  College  at  Addiscombe ; 
but  these  the  infirmities  of  his  advanced  age  compelled  him 
to  relinquish. 

In  the  year  1812  Dr.  Hutton  published,  in  three  volumes 
octavo,  a  collection,  entitled  "  Tracts  on  Mathematical  and 
Philosophical  Subjects  ;  comprising,  among  numerous  im- 
portant Articles,  the  Theory  of  Bridges,  with  several  Plans  of 
recent  Improvement:  also,  the  Results  of  numerous  Experi- 
ments on  the  Force  of  Gunpowder,  with  Applications  to  the 
Modern  Practice  of  Artillery."  These  volumes  contain, 
with  improvements  and  corrections,  several  of  the  detached 
papers  and  essays  of  which  mention  has  already  been  made  : 
they  also  include  the  History  of  the  Writings  and  Investi- 
gations in  Trigonometry  and  Logarithms,  as  published  in 
the  Introduction  to  the  Doctor's  Mathematical  Tables,  and 
the  History  of  the  Discoveries  and  Inventions  in  Algebra, 
which  was  first  published  under  the  word  ALGEBRA,  in  the 
Doctor's  Mathematical  and  Philosophical  Dictionary.  But 
several  of  these  "  Tracts"  are  altogether  new,  and  contain  a 
methodical  and  perspicuous  account  of  Dr.  Hutton's  valuable 
experiments  on  gunnery,  and  with  the  whirling  machine; 
together  with  a  copious  exposition  and  application  of  the 
principal  scientific  deductions  which  have  been  made  from 
these  numerous  and  cautious  experiments* 


DR.   HUTTON.  77 

Such  is  the  usual  imperfection  of  human  character,  that 
habits    of  meditation   and  research,    and   those  which   cha- 
racterize the  man  of  active  life,  are  very  seldom  united  in  one 
individual ;  and  they  who  adequately  appreciate  the  time  and 
study  necessary  to  produce  such  numerous,  varied,  and  im- 
portant works,  as  have  here  .been  spoken   of,    will   scarcely 
conjecture  that  these  opposite  habits  united  in  the  person  of 
Dr.  Hutton.     The  truth,  however,   is,   that   notwithstanding 
the  incessant  vigilance  with  which  he   discharged  his  duties 
as  a  Professor  of  Mathematics  at  the  Woolwich  Institution, 
the  time  devoted  to  his  numerous  publications,   and   to  his 
experiments   on  gunnery  and  the  resistance  of  the  air,  he 
still  found   leisure  and  inclination   to  project  and  to   effect 
improvements   of  a   very  different  kind.     The  state  of  his 
health,   about  twelve  'years  after  the  commencement  of  his 
duties  at  Woolwich,  became  so  precarious,  that  the  Master- 
general  of  the  Ordnance  permitted  him  to  reside  in  a  healthy 
situation  on  Shooter's  Hill,  instead  of  in  the  Royal  Arsenal, 
where   the   Royal   Military   Academy  then   stood :  this  per- 
mission, however,  was  not  accompanied  with  any  diminution 
of  academical  duty.     Woolwich  Common,  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Doctor's  new  residence,  at  that  time  exhibited  little  more 
than  a  few  rude  and  scattered  cottages,  and  was  overgrown 
with   thorns,  briars,  and  furze-bushes.     Speedily  foreseeing 
what  so  elevated  a   situation,  with  extensive  prospects  and 
pure  exhilarating  air,  might  be  rendered,  he  purchased  land, 
employed  brick-makers,  directed  the  manufactory  of  his  own 
bricks,  planned  and  erected   a  series  of  genteel  houses;  and 
thus  took  the  first  and  most  important  step  towards  rendering 
Woolwich  Common  what  it  now  is,   one   of  the  most  pic- 
turesque and   salubrious  places  of  residence  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  British   metropolis.     On   the  removal  of  the   Royal 
Military  Academy  from    the   Royal  Arsenal    to   Woolwich 
Common  in  the  year  1806,  the  Board  of  Ordnance  purchased 
these  houses  of  the  Doctor,  and  converted  them  into  official 
residences  for  Field-officers  of  Artillery,  and  the  Professors 
of  the  Academy. 


78  DR.  BUTTON. 

As  a  preceptor,  Dr.  Hutton  was  characterised  by  mild- 
ness, kindness,  promptness  in  discovering  the  difficulties 
which  his  pupils  experienced,  patience  in  labouring  to  re- 
move those  difficulties,  unwearied  perseverance,  and  a  never- 
failing  love  of  the  act  of  communicating  knowledge  by  oral 
instruction.  His  patience,  indeed,  was  perfectly  invincible. 
No  dulness  of  apprehension,  no  forgetfulness  in  the  pupil, 
ever  induced  him  to  yield  to  irascible  emotions,  or  to  for- 
feit his  astonishing  power  of  self-control.  Those  who  have 
had  favourable  opportunities  of  acquainting  themselves  with 
the  best  modes  of  giving  instruction,  in  the  University  of 
Cambridge,  and  in  other  institutions,  both  public  and 
private,  and  who  have  been  extensively  engaged  in  the  same 
profession,  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  that  they  never  saw,  or 
had  the  least  conception  of,  any  oral  instructions,  the  excel- 
lences of  which  bore  any  comparison  with  those  of  Dr. 
Hutton. 

As  a  lecturer,  his  manner  was  deliberate  and  perspicuous, 
his  illustrations  were  happy  and  convincing,  and  his  experi- 
ments were  usually  performed  with  neatness  and  success. 

As  an  author,  Dr.  Hutton  has  long  been  the  most  po- 
pular of  English  mathematical  writers ;  and  there  are  obvious 
reasons  for  this  popularity,  which  promises  to  be  as  per- 
manent as  it  is  extensive.  His  grand  objects  were  utility  in 
the  topics  of  investigation,  simplicity  in  the  mode  of  their 
attainment  or  advancement.  He  had  a  constitutional,  and  a 
conscientious,  aversion  from  the  pedantry  and  parade  of 
science.  He  loved  science,  and  he  promoted  it  for  its  own 
sake,  and  that  of  its  tendencies.  He  never,  by  affecting  to 
be  abstruse,  became  obscure ;  nor  did  he  ever  slide  into  di- 
gressions, for  the  purpose  of  shewing  how  much  he  knew  of 
other  things  besides  those  that  were  immediately  under  dis- 
cussion. Hence,  he  was  at  once  concise  and  perspicuous ; 
and  though  he  evidently  wrote  rather  to  be  useful  than  to 
obtain  celebrity,  he  procured  for  himself  a  reputation,  such 
as  hundreds,  who  have  written  for  reputation  alone,  will 
never  attain. 


DR.  HUTTON.  79 

The  valuable  peculiarities  of  Dr.  Hutton  as  a  teacher, 
professor,  and  writer,  emanated  from  intellectual  and  moral 
characteristics,  which  we  cannot  attempt  to  delineate  fully. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  that  he  was  remarkable  for  his  unassuming 
deportment,  for  the  simplicity  of  his  habits,  the  mildness  and 
equability  of  his  temper,  and  the  permanency  ttnd  warmth  of 
his  personal  attachments.  He  owed  much  to  an  undeviating 
regularity  in  the  distribution  of  his  time,  to  a  correct  and 
tenacious  memory,  (from  which  until  he  was  more  than  80 
years  of  age  scarcely  any  thing  escaped,)  and  at  the  same 
time  to  as  steady  a  practice  of  tabulating  and  classifying 
memoranda,  on  all  subjects  of  conversation,  speculation,  and 
inquiry,  as  though  he  had  no  memory  at  all.  The  habits 
and  dispositions  of  many  men  tend  to  stifle  their  genius,  and 
preclude  them  from  attaining  eminence ;  but  the  habits  and 
dispositions  of  Dr.  Hutton  all  contributed  to  the  maturity 
and  perfection  of  his  genius,  by  supplying  that  admirable 
stability  of  purpose,  and  continuity  of  effort,  with  which  he 
always  kept  it  under  beneficial  discipline. 

During  the  last  six  or  seven  years,  the  Doctor's  increasing 
infirmities  led  to  rather  more  quiet  and  recluse  habits  than 
he  had  formerly  adopted;  though  he  became  neither  indolent 
nor  estranged  from  his  friends.  Since  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Hutton,  in  1817,  his  principal  companion  was  his  eldest 
daughter,  Miss  Hutton,  whose  exemplary  devotedness  to  her 
valued  parent,  and  affectionate  anticipation  of  all  his  wishes 
and  wants,  he  appreciated  with  commensurate  affection. 
Though  thus  delighted  with  her  society  and  attention,  and 
those  of  his  son,  General  Hutton,  (who  in  1821  removed  to 
London,  with  his  family,  that  they  might  assist  in  cheering 
his  father's  latter  days,)  he  did  not  shut  himself  from  his 
other  friends,  but  always  received  them  with  a  cordial  wel- 
come ;  and,  nearly  to  the  close  of  life,  conversed  with  free- 
dom and  cheerfulness  upon  scientific  and  general  topics. 
Latterly,  if  he  had  any  previous  intimation  of  the  visit  of  a 
particular  individual,  he  would,  before  the  expected  arrival, 
lay  on  his  table  a  slip  of  paper,  containing  brief  hints  of  the 


80  DR.  IIUTTON. 

main  points  interesting  to  both ;  that  he  might  not,  after  his 
friend  had  retired,  have  the  mortification  of  recollecting 
what  he  could  have  wished  to  remember  earlier.  His  ma- 
nuscript-journal, among  other  notices  of  a  similar  nature, 
contains,  under  the  date  of  June  14th,  1820,  a  gratifying 
account  (though  too  long  to  quote)  of  the  pleasing  reminis- 
cences occasioned  by  a  visit  from  Dr.  Trail,  (the  well-known 
pupil  and  biographer  of  Dr.  Robt.  Simson,)  an  old  friend, 
with  whom  he  had  formed  an  intimacy  50  years  before,  at 
Glasgow, 

Much  of  Dr.  Hutton's  time  was  occupied  in  carrying 
through  the  press  new  editions  of  some  or  other  of  his  works. 
Thus,  during  the  last  year  of  his  life,  he  published  the  15th 
edition  of  his  "  Arithmetic,"  the  8th  edition  of  his  "  Com- 
pendious Measurer,"  and  the  6th  of  his  "  Mathematical 
Tables."  In  superintending  the  re-publication  of  this  la- 
borious and  valuable  work,  however,  he  was  materially 
assisted  by  his  friend,  .Professor  Leybourn,  of  the  Royal 
Military  College,  Sandhurst. 

In  1819  and  1820,  the  Doctor  had  some  correspondence 
with  that  eminent  philosopher  Laplace,  in  reference  to  a 
point  to  which  we  have  already  adverted;  viz.  the  extraor- 
dinary omission  of  the  Doctor's  name,  when  speaking  of  the 
determination  of  the  mean  density  of  the  earth.  Dr.  Hutton's 
letter  to  Laplace  remaining  unanswered  for  several  months, 
it  was  published  in  the  Philosophical  Magazine  for  February, 
1820,  as  well  as  in  the  "Journal  de  Physique,  &c."  for 
April,  1820.  In  the  "  Connaissance  des  Terns,"  for  1823, 
published  in  November,  182O,  Marquis  Laplace  did  ample 
justice  to  our  English  philosopher,  describing  the  nature  and 
difficulty  of  the  computation  relative  to  the  earth's  density ; 
and  adding,  "  all  this  was  executed  in  the  most  satisfactory 
manner  by  Dr.  Hutton,  an  illustrious  mathematician,  to 
whom  the  abstruse  sciences  are  indebted  for  numerous  other 
important  researches."  Laplace  also  sent  to  the  Doctor,  in 
September,  1820,  a  letter,  in  which  he  apologized  for  his 
apparent  neglect,  stating  that  he  had  "  long  been  acquainted 


DR.  HUTTON.  81 

with  his  profound  researches,  and  had  long  cherished  a  high 
esteem  for  him."  This  letter,  we  believe,  was  printed  in  the 
Philosophical  Magazine. 

Dr.  H,  had  often,  and  at  distant  intervals,  expressed  his 
conviction  that  many  of  the  computations  in  Mr.  Henry 
Cavendish's  paper  on  the  earth's  mean  density  were  er- 
roneous ;  a  circumstance  which  he  ascribed,  not  to  any  mis- 
take in  Mr.  Cavendish,  who  was  an  admirable  mathema- 
tician, but  to  errors  committed  by  the  individual  whom  that 
gentleman  employed  in  the  subordinate  calculations.  After 
in  vain  inviting  different  friends  to  go  through  the  computa- 
tions de  novo,  this  Nestor  of  science,  in  his  eighty-fourth 
year,  undertook  and  completed  the  labour.  As  he  an- 
ticipated, he  found  several  errors  of  no  trifling  magnitude, 
which,  with  their  correction,  may  be  seen  in  a  paper  sent  by 
the  Doctor  to  the  Royal  Society  in  1821,  and  inserted  in 
the  Philosophical  Transactions  for  that  year.  This,  we  be- 
lieve, was  the  last  important  scientific  labour  of  the  venerable 
subject  of  this  memoir-* 

Towards  the  end  of  the  same  year,  1821,  a  meeting  was. 
held  by  several  of  the  Doctor's  friends,  with  the  intention:  of 
paying  him  a  tribute  of  respect,  and  also  with  the  desire  bf 
obtaining  a  correct  likeness  of  him.  They  accordingly  ap- 
pointed a  committee,  who  agreed  to  employ  a,  sculptor  of 
the  first  eminence  to  execute  a  bust  in  marbte,,  from  which 
casts  or  copies  could  be  taken  in  any  number  that  might  be 
required.  The  Committee  resolved  to  cornro.§nce  a  sub- 
scription for  this  purpose,  on  such  a  plan  as  to,  afford  room 
for  numerous,  friends  and  admirers  of  I)r.  Hutto#»  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  pleasure  of  thus  manifesting  their  esteem.  A 
very  ample  list  of  subscribers  was  soon  collected,  at  the  head 
of  which  stood  the  name  of  the  Lord  Chancellor,  who,  as  we 
have  already  observed,  was  one  of  the  Doctor's  early  pupils, 
at  Newcastle. 

*  The  extensive  course  of  Lectures  on  Natural  Philosophy  delivered  by  Dr. 
Hutton  at  the  Royal  Military  Academy  was  quite  ready  for  publication ;  but 
the  manuscript  was  lost  in  a  very  extraordinary  manner  about  ten  years  ago.       t? 
VOL.  VIII.  G 


DR.  HUTTON. 

The  artist,  Mr.  Gahagan,  having  completed  the  bust,  on 
the  21st  of  September,  1822,  the  committee  for  conducting 
the  subscription  waited  on  Dr.  Hutton,  at  his  house  in  Bed- 
ford-Row, in  order  to  present  it  to  him,  according  to  the 
original  intention.  They  then  addressed  him  as  follows : 

"  We  have  the  honour.  Sir,  of  waiting  upon  you  as  a 
deputation,  to  pay  you  a  tribute  of  respect,  by  the  present- 
ation of  this  bust,  which  is  considered  a  very  faithful  and 
expressive  likeness. 

"  We  have,  in  common  with  other  admirers  of  your  talents, 
long  wished  to  possess  as  correct  and  lasting  a  resemblance  of 
your  countenance,  as  your  valuable  works  present  of  your 
mind;  and  we  are  now  highly  gratified,  having  obtained  casts 
of  this  admirable  bust,  which  we  shall  always  regard  with 
veneration. 

"  We  have  likewise  experienced  much  satisfaction  in  the 
success  of  the  subscription,  by  the  cordial  co-operation  of  so 
many  distinguished  characters  and  public  bodies.  Several  of 
your  early  pupils,  now  arrived  at  the  highest  eminence  in 
their  respective  professions,  and  numerous  other  men  of 
Science  who  have  profited  by  your  labours,  seemed  emulous 
in  manifesting  their  gratitude  and  esteem. 

"  Impressed  with  the  same  sentiments,  we  request,  Sir, 
that  you  will  accept  this  bust  as  a  testimony  of  respect  for 
your  virtues  and:  talents,  and  a  tribute  of  gratitude  for  your 
important  labours." 

To  which  Dr.  Hutton  gave  the  following  answer : 

"  Gentlemen,  —  Nothing  could  be  more  gratifying  to  my 
feelings  than  this  demonstration  of  your  regard.  So  flatter- 
ing a  testimony  from  such  distinguished  individuals,  and  public 
bodies,  is  an  honour  far  beyond  what  I  could  have  aspired  to. 
Nor  did  I  conceive  that  any  present,  at  my  advanced  period 
of  life,  could  have  given  me  such  heartfelt  satisfaction. 

"  If,  indeed,  any  thing  could  enhance  the  value  of  this  gift, 
it  is  the  kind  manner  in  which  it  is  now  presented.  It  is  not  in 


DR.  BUTTON.  83 

the  power  of  any  language  to  express  my  gratitude  on  this 
occasion.  I  can  only  offer  my  sincere  wishes,  gentlemen,  for 
your  lasting  happiness,  and  that  of  all  the  subscribers." 

On  this  gratifying  occasion,  the  Doctor's  spirits  evinced  no 
ordinary  flow :  his  memory,  his  reason,  his  science,  and  his 
wit,  were  excited  into  unusual  activity ;  and  the  select  few 
who  were  then  present  declare  that  they  shall  long  remember 
the  peculiar  display  of  intellectual  vigour,  as  well  as  of  ge- 
nerous and  grateful  emotion,  which  they  then  witnessed. 

There  remaining  a  surplus  of  a  few  pounds  after  the  several 
expenses  were  defrayed,  Dr.  H-  determined  (at  a  probable 
additional  expense  to  himself  of  seventy  or  eighty  pounds)  to 
evince  in  return  his  esteem  for  his  friends  and  pupils  who  had 
thus  stepped  forward.  He  immediately  gave  directions  for  a 
die  for  striking  off  medals,  (one  of  them  to  be  given  in  a  case 
to  each  subscriber,)  to  contain,  on  the  obverse,  the  head  of 
Dr.  Hutton^  in  profile,  with  an  appropriate  legend  of  name, 
age,  &c.  —  On  the  reverse,  emblems  of  two  of  the  doctor's 
philosophical  results;  the  one  on  the  density  of  the  earth, 
and  the  other  on  the  exact  force  or  strength  of  gunpowder  5 
with  an  appropriate  motto,  &c.  These  medals,  which  are 
very  finely  executed  by  Wyon,  were  ready  for  delivery  on  the 
day  of  the  doctor's  death ! 

The  infirmities  of  age  stole  upon  him  incessantly,  yet  al- 
most imperceptibly  :  Time,  that  most  mighty,  though  most 
silent  of  innovators,  was  making  effectual  inroads.  In 
October,  1 822,  the  Doctor,  by  some  unavoidable  exposure  to 
the  effects  of  a  chilling  atmosphere,  caught  a  severe  cold.' 
This  issued  in  a  pulmonary  complaint,  which  soon  made 
rapid  encroaches  upon  his  constitution.  His  physical  strength 
visibly  declined ;  and  many  of  his  actions,  and  not  a  little  of 
his  conversation,  evinced  that  he  anticipated  approaching 
dissolution.  He  retained,  however,  the  entire  possession  of 
his  faculties  till  very  near  his  death,  and  was  enabled  daily  to 
go  down  stairs.  "  On  Friday,  the  24th  of  January,  1823, 
only  three  days  before  the  termination  of  his  life,"  says  his 

G  2 


84  DR.  HUTTON. 

friend  and  successor,  Dr.  Olinth us  Gregory,  to  whose  able 
and  elegant  pen  we  principally  owe  the  preceding  relation, 
€t  I  visited  him  at  his  own  request,  in  consequence  of  a  com- 
munication which  he  had  received  from  the  Bridge-House 
Committee^  relative  to  the  proposed  new  bridge,  in  the  place 
of  '  London  Bridge.'  He  could  then  see  to  read  writing  of 
the  usual  size,  without  the  aid  of  spectacles,  and  very  well 
heard  all  that  I  said,  on  my  aiming  at  a  rather  slow  and  dis- 
tinct enunciation.  His  respiration  was  difficult,  as  it  had 
been  for  some  time ;  but,  on  the  whole,  I  thought  him  better 
than  when  I  had  seen  him  a  week  before.  Our  chief  convers- 
ation was  on  the  subject  of  his  letter  from  the  city :  he  expa- 
tiated with  his  usual  perspicuity  and  accuracy  upon  the  theory 
of  .arcuation,  the  relative  advantages  and  disadvantages  of 
different  curves  selected  for  the  intrados,  the  most  judicious 
construction  of  centering,  &c. :  he  then  passed  to  the  history 
of  the  erection  of  Blackfriars'  Bridge,  sketched  briefly  the 
principles  developed  on  that  occasion  by  Mr.  Simpson,  his 
celebrated  predecessor  at  Woolwich,  and  alluded  to  the  sci- 
entific qualifications  of  Mr.  Mylne,  the  architect  of  that  edi- 
fice. The  effort,  however,  greatly  exhausted  him,  and  com- 
pelled me  to  relinquish  my  intention  of  conversing  with  him 
on  another  topic.  He  entreated  me  to  revisit  him  on  that 
day  weejk,  and  I  most  cheerfully  assented,  hoping  that  the 
interview  would  have  its  peculiar  interest.  But,  on  the  suc- 
ceeding day,  Saturday,  he  became  worse;  on  Sunday  still 
worse;  sunk  into  a  comatose  state  as  evening  advanced,  and 
at  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Monday,  January  the  27th, 
expired  without  a  groan. 

"  Multis  ille  bonis  flebilis  occidit, 

Nulli  ffebilior  quam  mihi." 

"  The  impression  left  upon  ray  mind  and  heart  by  the  loss 
of  a  revered  friend,  from  whom  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  I 
have  experienced  nothing  but  uninterrupted  acts  of  almost 
paternal  kindness,  renders  me  quite  inadequate  to  attempt  a 
sketch  of  his  general  character ;  even  if  I  could  presume 


DR.  HUTTON.  85 

myself  otherwise  competent.  In  addition,  however,  to  the 
preceding  outline-delineation,  I  will  venture  to  present  one  or 
two  minuter  traits. 

"  Dr.  Hutton  had  that  fondness  for  retirement  which  is 
natural  to  a  man  of  studious  habits ;  nevertheless,  no  literary  or 
scientific  individual  with  whom  I  have  ever  met,  was  uniformly 
so  easy  of  access ;  a  circumstance  which  I  unhesitatingly  im- 
pute to  his  desire  to  be  useful  to  others,  a  desire  which  he 
steadily  evinced  through  life.  No  sooner,  indeed,  had  he 
been  removed  by  Providence  into  a  sphere  of  extensive  in- 
fluence by  his  official  appointment  in  the  Royal  Military 
Academy,  than  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  do  all  in  his  power  to 
promote  the  welfare  and  interest  of  men  of  science,  and 
especially  those  who  were  devoted  to  mathematical  tuition. 
Of  such  he  continued  for  fifty  years,  truly  and  eminently  the 
patron.  He  kept  up  a  most  extensive  correspondence  with 
mathematicians  in  every  part  of  Europe,  but  especially  in  the 
United  Kingdom.  Appreciating  correctly  and  candidly  the 
talents  and  acquirements  of  his  correspondents,  and  taking 
care  by  various  means  to  ascertain  their  situations  in  life,  he 
was  ever  watchful  in  seizing  opportunities  to  advance  their 
interests,  and  provide  honourable  appointments  for  them. 
To  this  amiable  and  enviable  propensity  the  late  General 
(then  Lieutenant)  Mudge  owed  his  recommendation  to  the 
Duke  of  Richmond,  as  duly  qualified  to  be  associated  with 
Major  Edward  Williams  in  conducting  the  Trigonometrical 
Survey  of  England  and  Wales  :  to  this  also,  my  able  prede- 
cessor, Professor  Bonnycastle,  owed  his  appointment  at  Wool- 
wich, in  1782  :  and  to  this  again,  I  cannot  omit  to  ascribe  the 
honour  of  my  invitation  to  the  Royal  Military  Academy  in 
the  year  1802.  To  many  others  now  living,'  I  refer  the  plea- 
sure of  testifying  their  own  obligations.  The  satisfaction 
which  the  Doctor  himself  derived  from  these  acts  of  kindness 
is  expressed  in  many  parts  of  his  journal.  Even  so  lately  as 
1821,  there  occur  two  or  three  examples  of  this  kind.  In  one 
of  them,  after  describing  how  he  had  been  the  principal  means 
of  obtaining  appointments  for  two  very  respectable  mathema- 

G  3 


86 


DR.  HTJTTON. 


ticians,  he  adds  —  '  Thus  I  have  much  pleasure  in  a  double 
degree,  viz.  both  in  serving  and  encouraging  very  able  and 
worthy  persons,  and  in  supplying  useful  institutions  with  good 
and  proper  teachers.' 

"  I  must  not  omit  to  add,  that  Dr.  Htitton  was  a  cordial 
friend  to  the  education  of  the  poor;  contributing  liberally  to 
Lancasterian  and  other  schools,  for  their  instruction  ;  often 
expatiating  on  the  advantages,  moral  and  political,  which 
would  necessarily  accrue  from  the  diffusion  of  knowledge 
amongst  them ;  and  successfully  exposing  the  folly  of  ex- 
pecting on  the  one  hand  that  if  men  were  left  ignorant  and 
without  principles  they  would  abstain  from  crimes,  yet  of 
fearing  on  the  other,  that  if  they  obtained  knowledge  and  im- 
bibed good  principles,  they  would  in  consequence  go  the 
more  astray  I 

"  Nor,  lastly,  would  it  be  just  to  omit,  that  my  venerable 
friend  was  a  man  of  genuine,  but  unassuming  benevolence. 
Never,  during  our  long  and  close  intimacy,  did  I  know  him 
turn  a  deaf  ear  to  a  case  of  real  distress.  On  paying  him 
one  of  my  periodical  visits,  about  five  years  ago,  I  found  him 
reading  a  letter,  the  tears  trickling  down  his  cheeks.  '  Read 
this/  said  he,  putting  the  letter  into  my  hand.  It  was  from 
the  wife  of  a  country  schoolmaster,  describing  how,  by  a 
series  of  misfortunes,  he  had  been  reduced  to  penury,  and 
had  just  been  hurried  off  to  jail,  while  the  sheriff's  officers 
had  seized  his  furniture,  leaving  her  and  her  children  without 
a  shilling.  '  Can  you  rely  upon  this  statement?'  I  asked. 
•—  *  Yes/  said  he:  '  I  have  information  from  another  quarter 
which  confirms  its  truth.'  —  £  Then  what  do  you  mean  to  do?' 
—  *  I  mean,'  replied  the  Doctor,  smiling,  '  to  demand  a  guinea 
from  you,  and  the  same  sum  from  every  friend  who  calls  upon 
me  to-day ;  then  to  make  up  the  amount  twenty  guineas,  and 
send  it  off  by  this  night's  post.'  He  knew  nothing  of  this 
family,  but  that,  though  they  were  unfortunate,  they  were 
honest  and  industrious,  and  therefore  deserved  relief. 

"  I  could  detail  many  similar  examples;  but  it  is  unne- 
cessary.    *  Ex  uno  disee  omnes.' 

"  OLIKTHUS  GBEGORY." 


DR.  BUTTON.  87 

We  have  already  stated  that  the  name  of  the  Lord  Chan- 
cellor was  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  the  subscribers  to  Dr. 
Button's  bust.  On  that  occasion,  the  Doctor  wrote  a  letter  of 
thanks ;  and,  a  few  days  after  his  father's  decease,  General 
Hutton  sent  a  medal  to  that  highly  distinguished  nobleman, 
with  an  account  of  the  melancholy  event.  The  following  let- 
ter, which  was  written  in  reply,  is  not  less  honourable  to  his 
Lordship's  feelings  than  to  Dr.  Hutton's  memory : 

"SIR,  Feb.  3.  1823. 

"  I  request  you  to  accept  my  very  sincere  thanks  for  your 
communication  received  on  Saturday  last. 

"  Full  sixty  years  have  passed  since  I  had  the  benefit  of 
your  venerable  father's  instructions,  and  that  benefit  I  regard 
as  one  of  the  many  blessings  which  I  have  enjoyed  in  life, 
and  of  which  blessings  1  wish  I  had  been  more  worthy. 

"  I  feel  very  painfully  that  I  did  not  wait  upon  Dr.  Hutton 
personally  to  thank  him  for  his  letter,  in  which  he  wrote  with 
such  remarkable  and  affecting  kindness  respecting  Lady  Eldon 
and  myself,  —  both  his  pupils.  I  shall  preserve  that  letter  as 
a  testimony  that  a  person  of  his  eminence  had,  through  so 
many  years,  recollected  us  with  a  sort  of  parental  affection. 

"  I  shall  not  fail  to  preserve  anxiously  the  medal  which 
you  have  been  pleased  to  send  to  me,  and  for  which  I  beg  you 
to  receive  my  thanks.  To  secure  to  his  memory  the  respect 
and  veneration  of  his  country,  this  memorial  was  not  wanting : 
he  will  long  be  remembered  by  a  country  so  essentially  be- 
nefited by  his  life,  and  works. 

"  I  am,  Sir, 
"  Your  obedient  and  obliged  servant, 

"  ELDON." 

"  To  Lieut.-Gen.  Hutton. 

Letters  similar  to  the  above,  in  praise  of  the  deceased, 
were  written  by  several  other  illustrious  characters;  among 
whom  may  be  mentioned  his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Wellington, 
General  Sir  Thomas  Hislop,  &c.  &c. 

G  4 


88  DR.  HUTTON. 

Dr.  Hutton  bequeathed  his  marble  bust  to  the  Philosophical 
Society  of  Newcastle.  It  is  to  be  placed  in  their  new  and 
splendid  Institution,  where  it  will  no  doubt  be  long  regarded 
with  pride  and  veneration.  He  always  manifested  a  laudable 
affection  for  his  native  place,  of  which  he  gave  a  proof  soon 
after  his  retirement  from  Woolwich,  by  investing  sums  of 
money  for  the  perpetual  support  of  a  school,  &c.  at  New- 
castle. His  benevolence  was  extensive.  To  merit  in  distress, 
and  more  especially  to  the  votaries  of  science,  he  was  always 
a  kind  friend  and  benefactor. 

"  Quando  ullum  invenient  parem  ?" 

His  remains  were  interred  in  the  family  vault,  at  Charlton, 
in  Kent ;  and  his  funeral  was  most  respectably  and  numerously 
attended. 

Dr.  Hutton  was  twice  married :  his  surviving  family  con- 
sists of  a  son  and  two  daughters.  The  former  was  educated 
at  the  Royal  Military  Academy,  at  an  early  age  obtained  a 
commission  in  the  Royal  Artillery,  and  is  now  a  Lieutenant- 
Gen  eral  in  the  army.  General  Hutton  is  a  member  of  several 
learned  societies,  and  was  honoured,  some  years  ago,  with  the 
degree  of  LL.  D.  by  the  Marischal  College  at  Aberdeen. 


89 


No,  IV. 
MRS.  ANN  RADCLIFFE. 

AMONG  the  eminent  Englishwomen  who  have  contributed  by 
their  talents  to  the  intellectual  character  of  their-country,  the 
name  of  Mrs.  Ann  Radcliffe  will  always  stand  highly  dis- 
tinguished. 

Mrs*  Radcliffe  was  a  native  of  London,  and  was  born  on 
the  9th  of  July,  1764.  By  a  communication  which  we  shall 
annex  to  this  brief  memoir,  it  appears  that  her  family  and 
connections  were  of  the  most  respectable  description.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Ward.  In  her  twenty-third  year  she 
married  at  Bath  (where  her  parents  then  resided),  William 
Radcliffe,  Esq.,  a  graduate  of  Oxford ;  and  who,  intending  to 
pursue  the  profession  of  the  law,  kept  several  terms  at  one  of 
the  Inns  of  Court;  but,  changing  his  resolution,  was  never 
called  to  the  bar.  Mr.  Radcliffe  subsequently  became  the 
proprietor  and  editor  of  the  English  Chronicle. 

Soon  after  her  marriage,  the  powers  of  Mrs.  Radcliffe's  mind 
began  to  develope  themselves  in  the  production  of  a  series  of 
romances,  of  which  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  they  rank  with 
the  best  that  have  appeared  in  the  English  language.  They 
have  been  translated  into  every  European  tongue ;  and  have 
been  everywhere  read  with  enthusiastic  delight.  Of  the  peculiar 
character  of  Mrs.  Radcliffe' s  works  we  cannot  convey  a  more 
adequate  notion  than  by  quoting  the  following  extracts  from 
a  prefatory  introduction  written  by  Mrs.  Barbauld  to  "  The 
Romance  of  the  Forest,"  which,  with  "  The  Mysteries  of 
Udolpho,"  was  incorporated  by  that  lady  into  her  edition  of 
THE  BRITISH  NOVELISTS:  — 

"  Though  every  production  which  is  good  in  its  kind  en- 
titles its  author  to  praise,  a  greater  distinction  is  due  to  those 


90  MRS.  RADCLIFFE. 

which  stand  at  the  head  of  a  class ;  and  such  are  undoubtedly 
the  novels  of  Mrs.  Radcliffe ;  which  exhibit  a  genius  of  no 
common  stamp.  She  seems  to  scorn  to  move  those  passions 
which  form  the  interest  of  common  novels :  she  alarms  the 
soul  with  terror;  agitates  it  with  suspense,  prolonged  and 
wrought  up  to  the  most  intense  feeling  by  mysterious  hints 
and  obscure  intimations  of  unseen  danger.  The  scenery  of 
her  tales  is  in  "  time-shook  towers,"  vast  uninhabited  castles, 
winding  staircases,  long  echoing  aisles;  or,  if  abroad,  lonely 
heaths,  gloomy  forests,  and  abrupt  precipices,  the  haunt  of 
banditti;  the  canvass  and  the  figures  of  Salvator  Rosa.  Her 
living  characters  correspond  to  the  scenery :  their  wicked  pro- 
jects are  dark,  singular,  atrocious.  They  are  not  of  English 
growth ;  their  guilt  is  tinged  with  a  darker  hue  than  that  of 
the  bad  and  profligate  characters  we  see  in  the  world  about 
us;  they  seem  almost  to  belong  to  an  unearthly  sphere  of 
powerful  mischief.  But  to  the  terror  produced  by  the  machi- 
nations of  guilt,  and  the- perception  of  danger,  this  writer  has 
had  the  art  to  unite  another,  and  possibly  a  stronger  feeling. 
There  is,  perhaps,  in  every  breast  at  all  susceptible  of  the 
influence  of  imagination,  the  germ  of  a  certain  superstitious 
dread  of  the  world  unknown,  which  easily  suggests  the  idea 
of  commerce  with  it.  Solitude,  darkness,  low-whispered 
sounds,  obscure  glimpses  of  objects,  flitting  forms,  tend  to 
raise  in  the  mind  that  thrilling  mysterious  terror,  which  has 
for  its  object  the  "  powers  unseen,  and  mightier  far  than  we." 
But  these  ideas  are  suggested  only;  for  it  is  the  peculiar 
management  of  this  author,  that  though  she  gives,  as  it  were, 
a  glimpse  of  the  world  of  terrible  shadows,  she  yet  stops 
short  of  any  thing  really  supernatural :  for  all  the  strange  and 
alarming  circumstances  brought  forward  in  the  narrative  are 
explained  in  the  winding  up  of  the  story  by  natural  causes ; 
but  in  the  mean  time  the  reader  has  felt  their  full  impression. 
"  The  first  production  of  this  lady,  in  which  her  peculiar  ge- 
nius was  strikingly  developed,  is  { The  Romance  of  the  Forrest/ 
and  in  some  respects  it  is  perhaps  the  best.  It  turns  upon  the 
machinations  of  a  profligate  villain,  and  his  agent,  against  an 


MRS.  RADCLIFFE.  91 

amiable  and  unprotected  girl,  whose  birth  and  fortunes  have 
been  involved  in  obscurity  by  crime  and  perfidy.  The  cha- 
racter of  La  Motte,  the  agent,  is  drawn  with  spirit.  He  is 
represented  as  weak  and  timid,  gloomy  and  arbitrary  in  his 
family,  drawn  by  extravagance  into  vice  and  atrocious  actions, 
capable  of  remorse,  but  not  capable  of  withstanding  tempt- 
ation. There  is  a  scene  between  him  and  the  more  hardened 
Marquis,  who  is  tempting  him  to  commit  murder,  which  has 
far  more  nature  and  truth  than  the  admired  scene  between 
King  John  and  Hubert,  in  which  the  writer's  imagination  has 
led  him  rather  to  represent  the  action  to  which  the  King  is 
endeavouring  to  work  his  instrument,  as  it  would  be  seen  by 
a  person  who  had  a  great  horror  of  its  guilt,  than  in  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  ought, to  represent  it  in  order  to  win  him  to 
his  purpose : 

«  t If  the  midnight  bell 

Did  with  his  iron  tongue,  and  brazen  mouth, 
Sound  one  unto  the  drowsy  ear  of  night ; 
If  this  same  were  a  churchyard  where  we  stand, 
And  thou  possessed  with  a  thousand  wrongs  ; 

— — if  thou  could'st  see  me  without  eyes, 

Hear  me  without  thine  ears,  and  make  reply 
Without  a  tongue,'  "  &c. 

What  must  be  the  effect  of  such  imagery  but  to  infuse  into  the 
mind  of  Hubert  that  horror  of  the  crime  with  which  the  spec- 
tator views  the  deed,  and  which  it  was  the  business,  indeed,  of 
Shakspeare  to  impress  upon  the  mind  of  the  spectator,  but  not 
of  King  John  to  impress  upon  Hubert  ?  In  the  scene  referred 
to,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Marquis,  whose  aim  is  to  tempt 
La  Motte  to  the  commission  of  murder,  begins  by  attempting 
to  lower  his  sense  of  virtue,  by  representing  it  as  the  effect  of 
prejudices  imbibed  in  early  youth,  reminds  him  that  in  many 
countries  the  stiletto  is  resorted  to  without  scruple ;  treats  as 
trivial  his  former  deviations  from  integrity  ;  and,  by  lulling 
his  conscience  and  awakening  his  cupidity,  draws  him  to  his 
purpose. 

"  There   are  many  situations  in  this  novel    which    strike 
strongly  upon   the  imagination.     Who  can   read  without  a 


92  MRS.  RADCLIFFE. 

a  shudder,  that  Adeline  in  her  lonely  chamber  at  the  abbey 
hardly  dared  to  lift  her  eyes  to  the  glass,  lest  she  should  see 
another  face  than  her  own  reflected  from  it?  or  who  does  not 
sympathize  with  her  feelings,  when,  thinking  she  has  effected 
her  escape  with  Peter,  she  hears  a  strange  voice,  and  finds  her- 
self on  horseback  in  a  dark  night  carried  away  by  an  unknown 
ruffian  ? 

"  The  next  work  which  proceeded  from  Mrs.  Radcliffe's  pen 
was  '  The  Mysteries  of  Udolpho.'  Similar  to  the  former  in  the 
turn  of  its  incidents,  and  the  nature  of  the  feelings  it  is  meant 
to  excite,  it  abounds  still  more  with  instances  of  mysterious  and 
terrific  appearances,  but  has  perhaps  less  of  character,  and 
a  more  imperfect  story.  It  has  been  the  aim  in  this  work  to 
assemble  appearances  of  the  most  impressive  kind,  which  con- 
tinually present  the  idea  of  supernatural  agency,  but  which 
are  at  length  accounted  for  by  natural  means.  They  are  not 
always,  however,  well  accounted  for ;  and  the  mind  experiences 
a  sort  of  disappointment  and  shame  at  having  felt  so  much 
from  appearances  which  had  nothing  in  them  beyond  "  this 
visible  diurnal  sphere."  The  moving  of  the  pall  in  the  funereal 
chamber  is  of  this  nature.  The  curtain  which  no  one  dares  to 
withdraw  interests  us  strongly;  we  feel  the  utmost  stings  and 
throbs  of  curiosity ;  but  we  have  been  affected  so  repeatedly, 
the  suspense  has  been  so  long  protracted,  and  expectation 
raised  so  high,  that  no  explanation  can  satisfy,  no  imagery  of 
horrors  can  equal  the  vague  shapings  of  our  imagination. 

"  '  The  Mysteries  of  Udolpho7  is  the  most  popular  of  this 
author's  performances,  and  as  such  has  been  chosen  for  this 
selection ;  but  perhaps  it  is  exceeded  in  strength  by  her  next 
publication,  { The  Italians.'  Nothing  can  be  finer  than  the 
opening  of  the  story.  An  Englishman  on  his  travels,  walking 
through  a  church,  sees  a  dark  figure  stealing  along  the  aisles. 
He  is  informed  that  he  is  an  assassin.  On  expressing  his 
astonishment  that  he  should  find  shelter  there,  he  is  told  that 
such  adventures  are  common  in  Italy.  His  companion  then 
points  to  a  confessional  in  an  obscure  aisle  of  the  church. 
*  There,'  says  he,  <  in  that  cell,  such  a  tale  of  horror  was 


MRS.  RADCLIFFE.  93 

once  poured  into  the  ear  of  a  priest  as  overwhelmed  him  with 
astonishment,  nor  was  the  secret  ever  disclosed.'  This  pre- 
lude, like  the  tuning  of  an  instrument  by  a  skilful  hand,  has 
the  effect  of  producing  at  once  in  the  mind  a  tone  of  feeling 
correspondent  to  the  future  story.  In  this,  as  in  the  former 
productions,  the  curiosity  of  the  reader  is  kept  upon  the 
stretch  by  mystery  and  wonder.  The  author  seems  perfectly 
to  understand  that  obscurity,  as  Burke  has  asserted,  is  a 
strong  ingredient  in  the  sublime :  —  a  face  shrouded  in  a 
cowl ;  a  narrative  suddenly  suspended  ;  deep  guilt  half  re- 
vealed; the  untold  secrets  of  a  prison-house;  the  terrific 
shape,  'if  shape  it  might  be  called  that  shape  had  none  dis- 
tinguishable;'—  all  these  affect  the  mind  more  powerfully 
than  any  regular  or  distinct  images  of  danger  or  of  woe. 

"  But  this  novel  has  also  high  merit  in  the  character  of 
Schedoni,  which  is  strikingly  drawn,  as  is  his  personal  ap- 
pearance. £  His  figure,'  says  the  author,  c  was  striking,  but 
not  so  from  grace.  It  was  tall,  and  though  extremely  thin, 
his  limbs  were  large  and  uncouth ;  and  as  he  stalked  along, 
wrapped  in  the  black  garments  of  his  order,  there  was  some- 
thing terrible  in  his  air,  something  almost  superhuman.  His 
cowl,  too,  as  it  threw  a  shade  over  the  livid  paleness  of  his  face, 
increased  its  severe  character,  and  gave  an  effect  to  his  large 
melancholy  eye,  which  approached  to  horror.  His  physi- 
ognomy bore  the  trace  of  many  passions,  which  seemed  to 
have  fixed  the  features  they  no  longer  animated.  His  eyes 
were  so  piercing  that  they  seemed  to  penetrate  with  a  single 
glance  into  the  hearts  of  men,  and  to  read  their  most  secret 
thoughts;  few  persons  could  support  their  scrutiny,  or  even 
endure  to  meet  them  twice.'  A  striking  figure  for  the 
painter  to  transfer  to  the  canvass ;  perhaps  some  picture  might 
originally  have  suggested  it.  The  scene  where  this  singular 
character  is  on  the  point  of  murdering  his  own  daughter,  as 
she  then  appears  to  be,  is  truly  tragical,  and  wrought  up  with 
great  strength  and  pathos.  It  is  impossible  not  to  be  in- 
terested in  the  situation  of  Ellen,  in  the  convent,  when  her 
lamp  goes  out  while  she  is  reading  a  paper  on  which  her  fate 


94<  MRS.  RADCLIFFE. 

depends;  and  again,  when,  in  making  her  escape,  she  has 
just  got  to  the  end  of  the  long  vaulted  passage,  and  finds  the 
door  locked,  and  herself  betrayed. 

"  There  are  beauties  in  Mrs.  RadclifFe's  volumes,  which 
would  perhaps  have  more  effect  if  our  curiosity  were  less 
excited,  —  for  her  descriptions  are  rich  and  picturesque. 
Switzerland,  the  south  of  France,  Venice,  the  valleys  of  Pied- 
mont, the  bridge,  the  cataract,  and  especially  the  charming 
bay  of  Naples,  the  dances  of  the  peasants,  with  the  vine- 
dressers and  the  fishermen,  have  employed  her  pencil.  Though 
love  is  but  of  a  secondary  interest  in  her  story,  there  is  a  good 
deal  of  tenderness  in  the  parting  scenes  between  Emily  and 
Valancourt  in  '  The  Mysteries  of  Udolpho,'  when  she  dismisses 
him,  who  is  still  the  object  of  her  affection,  on  account  of  his 
irregularities. 

"  It  ought  not  to  be  forgotten  that  there  are  many  elegant 
pieces  of  poetry  interspersed  through  the  volumes  of  Mrs. 
Radcliffe;  among  which  tire  to  be  distinguished  as  exquisitely 
sweet  and  fanciful,  the  '  Song  to  a  Spirit,'  and  'The  Sea  Nymph,* 
'  Down,  down,  a  hundred  fathom  deep  !'  They  might  be 
sung  by  Shakspeare's  Ariel.  The  true  lovers  of  poetry  are 
almost  apt  to  regret  its  being  brought  in  as  an  accompani- 
ment to  narrative,  where  it  is  generally  neglected ;  for  not  one 
in  a  hundred  of  those  who  read  and  can  judge  of  novels  are 
at  all  able  to  appreciate  the  merits  of  a  copy  of  verses,  and 
the  common  reader  is  always  impatient  to  get  on  with  the 
story." 

On  all  subjects  of  taste  there  must  be,  as  it  is  desirable 
there  should  be,  varieties  of  opinion.  It  seems  by  the  fore- 
going extracts  that  Mrs.  Barbauld  prefers  "  The  Romance  of 
the  Forest"  to  "  The  Mysteries  of  Udolpho."  The  able  and 
learned  author  of  "  The  Pursuits  of  Literature,"  on  the  con- 
trary, selected  "  The  Mysteries  of  Udolpho"  as  the  theme  of 
his  unqualified  admiration.  In  a  note  to  his  first  dialogue, 
after  mentioning  the  names  of  several  modern  novel-writers, 
he  goes  on  to  say,  — 


MilS.   RADCL1FFE.  95 

"  Though  all  of  them  are  ingenious  ladies,  yet  they  are  too 
frequently  whining  and  frisking  in  novels,  till  our  girls'  heads 
turn  wild  with  impossible  adventures ;  and  now  and  then  are 
tainted  with  democracy.  Not  so  the  mighty  magician  of  '  The 
Mysteries  of  Udolpho;'  bred  and  nourished  by  the  Florentine 
muses  in  their  sacred  solitary  caverns,  amid  the  paler  shrines 
of  Gothic  superstition,  and  in  all  the  dreariness  of  enchant- 
ment :  a  poetess  whom  Ariosto  would  with  rapture  have  ac- 
knowledged, as  the 

•  '  La  nudrita 
Damigella  Trivulzia  AL  SACRO  SPECO.'  —  O.  F.  c.  xlvi." 

It  is  singular  that  of  this  encomium,  which  must  of  course 
have  been  highly  gratifying  to  Mrs.  Radcliffe,  she  knew 
nothing  until  above  a  twelvemonth  after  the  publication  of 
"  The  Pursuits  of  Literature ;"  and  then  only  in  consequence 
of  accidentally  meeting  with  the  book.  Had  it  been  dispraise, 
no  doubt  "  some  good-natured  friend"  would  not  have  allowed 
it.  so  long  to  escape  her  observation. 

Many  other  individuals  of  eminence  in  taste  and  literature^ 
might  be  adverted  to,  as  having  also  expressed  themselves  in 
strong  terms  of  admiration  of  Mrs.  Radcliffe's  genius.  Dr. 
Joseph  Warton,  the  Head  Master  of  Winchester  School,, 
who  was  then  at  a  very  advanced  period  of  life,  told  Mr. 
George  Robinson,  Mrs.  Radcliffe's  publisher,  that  happening 
to  take  up  "  The  Mysteries  of  Udolpho,"  he  was  so  fascin- 
ated, that  he  could  not  go  to  bed  until  he  had  finished  if,  and 
that  he  actually  sat  up  a  great  part  of  the  night  for  that  pur- 
pose. Mr.  Sheridan  spoke  of  the  same  production  with  great 
praise ;  and  Mr.  Fox,  in  a  letter  which  he  wrote  to  an  inti- 
mate friend  at  the  time  when  Mrs.  Radcliffe's  works  were  the 
subject  of  general  conversation  and  remark,  mentioned  them 
all  in  terms  of  high  commendation,  and  entered  into  a  par- 
ticular examination  and  comparison  of  their  respective  merits* 

Mrs.  Radcliffe  composed  with  great  rapidity ;  especially 
the  passages  of  her  various  productions  in  which  she  felt 
the  most  deeply  interested.  It  generally  proved  that  those 


96  MRS.  RADCLIFFE. 

were  the  passages  which  made  the  most  powerful  impression 
upon  the  public. 

Some  exaggeration  has  taken  place  with  respect  to  the 
pecuniary  advantages  which  Mrs.  Radcliffe  derived  from  her 
talents.  For  instance,  it  has  been  said,  that  she  received  1000/. 
from  the  Messrs.  Robinsons,  for  the  copy-right  of  "  The 
Mysteries  of  Udolpho,"  The  real  amount  was  500/. ;  at  that 
time  so  unusually  large  a  sum  for  a  work  of  imagination^  that 
old  Mr.  Cadell,  than  whom  no  man  was  more  experienced  in 
such  matters,  when  he  was  told  that  500/.  had  been  given, 
offered  a  wager  of  101.  that  it  was  not  the  fact.  It  has  also 
been  said,  that  Mrs.  Radcliffe  received  1500/.  for  the  copy- 
right of  "  The  Italians."  The  real  amount  did  not  exceed 
800/. 

The  unrivalled  force  and  richness  with  which  Mrs.  Rad- 
cliffe depicted  the  countries,  —  Italy,  Switzerland,  and  the 
South  of  France,  —  in  which  the  scene  of  her  principal  ro- 
mances is  laid,  naturally-induced  a  general  belief  that  she  had 
visited  them.  A  recent  traveller  in  those  countries,  of  some 
celebrity,  was  so  impressed  with  this  idea,  that  he  frequently 
refers  to  Mrs.  Radcliffe' s  descriptions,  as  evidently  derived 
from  personal  observation.  It  has  even  been  distinctly  as~ 
serted,  in  a  respectable  periodical  publication*,  that  Mrs. 
Radcliffe  accompanied  her  husband  into  Italy,  when  he  was 
attached  to  one  of  the  British  embassies  to  that  country ;  and 
that  "  it  was  on  that  occasion  she  imbibed  the  taste  for  pic- 
turesque scenery,  and  the  obscure  and  wild  superstitions  of 
mouldering  castles,  of  which  she  has  made  so  beautiful  a  use 
in  her  romances."  The  fact,  however,  is,  that  neither  Mr.  nor 
Mrs.  Radcliffe  was  ever  in  Italy  at  all ;  nor  on  the  Continent 
until  the  year  J794.  To  Mrs.  Radcliffe's  powerful  fancy, 
operating  upon  the  materials  furnished  by  former  writers,  the 
vividness  of  the  descriptions  which  have  thus  been  mistaken 
for  actual  portraiture  is  solely  attributable. 

*  Edinburgh  Review  for  May,  1823, 


MRS.  RADCLIFFE.  97 

But  the  error  just  mentioned  is  trifling,  compared  with 
one  committed  by  the  authoress  of  a  book  of  travels  through 
England ;  who,  in  noticing  the  Duke  of  Rutland's  venerable 
and  romantic  seat  in  Derbyshire,  called  Haddon  House,  (on 
which  Gilpin  dwells  with  so  much  enthusiasm,)  after  saying 
that  it  was  there  that  Mrs.  Radcliffe  acquired  her  love  of 
castles  and  ancient  buildings,  proceeds  to  observe,  that  that 
lady  had  for  years  fallen  into  a  state  of  insanity,  and  was 
under  confinement  in  Derbyshire  !  Mrs.  Radcliffe  was  in 
Derbyshire  only  on  two  occasions,  and  on  both  but  for  a  few 
days ;  the  one  in  1 798,  when,  after  the  death  of  her  father, 
she  accompanied  her  mother  thither ;  the  other  in  the  latter 
end  of  1799,  or  the  beginning  of  1800,  when  she  went  to 
visit  her  mother,  who  was  very  ill,  and  who  died  shortly 
afterwards.  Haddon  House  she  never  saw ;  nor  had  she  ever 
heard  of  it  at  the  time  of  her  earlier  publications.  With 
respect  to  the  second  part  of  the  statement,  it  does  really 
seem  to  be  unpardonable,  when  we  consider  that  the  writer 
might  have  easily  ascertained,  had  it  been  only  by  a  reference 
to  her  publisher,  that  it  was  utterly  destitute  of  truth,  and 
that  Mrs.  Radeliffe  was  frequently  to  be  seen  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  metropolis,  in  which  she  lived.  To  complete  the  affair, 
1  in  a  larger  work  of  a  more  recent  date  than  the  publication 
already  alluded  to,  a  plate  of  Haddon  House  is  given,  with 
a  description,  in  which  the  above  story  is  introduced  ! 

During  the  last  twelve  years  of  her  life,  Mrs-.  Radcliffe  suf- 
fered greatly  at  intervals  from  a  spasmodic  asthma.  This  oc- 
casioned a  general  loss  of  health,  and  consequent  depression 
of  spirits ;  and  her  only  consolation  was  the  unwearied  atten- 
tion of  an  affectionate  husband,  whose  own  intelligence  enabled 
him  to  appreciate  her  worth.  In  the  autumn  of  1822,  she 
received  considerable  benefit  from  a  visit  to  Ramsgate ;  but  it 
was  temporary.  The  last  fatal  attack  commenced  on  the  9th 
of  January,  1823.  She  had  been  out  in  the  cold  on  that  day, 
and  at  night  she  complained  of  a  difficulty  in  breathing.  In 
the  first  instance,  her  indisposition  appeared  less  serious  than 
most  of  her  previous  seizures.  Unhappily,  it  increased.  On 

VOL.  VIII.  H 


98  MRS.  RADCLIFFE. 

the  llth  of  January,  Dr.  Scudamore  was  called  in;  who  did 
every  thing  for  her  that  skill  and  tenderness  could  suggest;  — 
but  in  vain.  On  the  6th  of  February,  however,  she  did  not 
appear  in  any  immediate  danger,  although  in  a  state  of  great 
weakness.  At  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  Mr.  Radcliffe  assisted 
in  giving  her  some  nourishment,  which  she  took  with  ap- 
parent satisfaction ;  her  last  words  being,  "  there  is  some 
substance  in  that."  She  then  fell  into  a  slumber ;  but  when 
Mr.  Radcliffe  (who  had  been  sitting  up  in  the  next  room) 
re-entered  her  apartment,  in  the  course  of  an  hour  or  two, 
she  was  breathing  rather  hardly,  and  neither  the  nurse  nor 
himself  was  able  to  awake  her.  Dr.  Scudamore  was  instantly 
sent  for;  but  before  his  arrival  she  tranquilly  expired,  at  be- 
tween two  and  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  7th  of 
February,  1823;  being  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  her  age. 
Her  countenance  after  death  was-  delightfully  placid,  and  it 
continued  so  for  several  days* 

Mrs.  Radcliffe  was  interred  in  a  vault  of  the  Chapel  of 
Ease,  at  Bayswater,  belonging  to  St.  George's,  Hanover 
Square. 

Naturally  desirous  to  obtain  whatever  further  authentic 
information  we  could,  respecting  the  amiable  and  celebrated 
subject  of  this  little  sketch,  we  applied  to  the  quarter  whence 
we  knew  such  information  was  to  be  derived ;  and  were,  in 
consequence,  favoured  with  the  following  communication : 

"  Your  wish  to  receive  information  relative  to  the  late 
Mrs.  Radcliffe  affords  me  an  opportunity,  which  I  willingly 
accept,  for  mentioning  the  following  particulars. 

"  She  was  born  in  London,  in  the  year  1 764 ;  the  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Ann  Ward,  who,  though  in  trade,  were 
nearly  the  only  persons  of  their  two  families  not  living  in 
handsome,  or  at  least  easy  independence.  Her  paternal 
grand-mother  was  a  Cheselden,  the  sister  of  the  celebrated 
surgeon,  of  whose  kind  regard  her  father  had  a  grateful  re- 
collection, and  some  of  whose  presents,  in  books,  I  have  seen. 
The  late  Lieutenant  Colonel  Cheselden,  of  Somerby  in 


MRS.  RADCLJFFE.  99 

Leicestershire,  was,  I  think,  another  nephew  of  the  surgeon. 
Her  father's  aunt,  the  late  Mrs.  Barwell,  first  of  Leicester^ 
and  then  of  Duffield  in  Derbyshire,  was  one  of  the  sponsors 
at  her  baptism.  Her  maternal  grand-mother  was  Ann  Gates, 
the  sister  of  Dr.  Samuel  Jebb  of  Stratford,  who  was  the 
father  of  Sir  Richard  :  on  that  side  she  was  also  related  to 
Dr.  Halifax,  Bishop  of  Gloucester,  and  to  Dr.  Halifax, 
Physician  to  the  King.  Perhaps  it  may  gratify  curiosity  to1 
state  further,  that  she  was  descended  from  a  near  relative  of 
the  De  Witts  of  Holland.  In  some  family  papers  which  I 
have  seen,  it  is  stated  that  a  De  Witt,  of  the  family  of  John 
and  Cornelius,  came  to  England*  under  the  patronage  of 
government,  upon  some  design  of  draining  the  fens  in  Lin- 
colnshire, bringing  with  him  a  daughter,  Amelia,  then  aft 
infant.  The  prosecution  of  the  plan  is  supposed  to  have 
been  interrupted  by  the  rebellion,  in  the  time  of  Charles  the 
first ;  but  De  Witt  appears  to  have  passed  the  remainder  of 
his  life  in  a  mansion  near  Hull,  and  to  have  left  many  chil-. 
dren,  of  whom  Amelia  was  the  mother  pf  one  of  Mrs, 
RadclifFe's  ancestors. 

"  This  admirable  writer,  whom  I  remember  from  about 
the  time  of  her  twentieth  year,  was,  in  her  youth,  of  a  figure 
exquisitely  proportioned;  while  she  resembled  her  father^ 
and  his  brother  and  sister,  in  being  low  of  stature.  Her,. 
complexion  was  beautiful,  as  was  her  whole  countenance, 
especially  her  eyes,  eyebrows,  and  mouth.  Of  the  faculties 
of  her  mind,  let  her  works  speak.  Her  tastes  were  such  as 
might  be  expected  from  those  works.  To  contemplate  the 
glories  of  creation,  but  more  particularly  the  grander  fea- 
tures of  their  display,  was  one  of  her  chief  delights  :  to  lis- 
ten to  fine  music  was  another.  She  had  also,  a  gratification 
in  listening  to  any  good  verbal  sounds  :  and  would  pjesire  to 
hear  passages  repeated  from  the  Latin  and  Greek  classics; 
requiring,  at  intervals,  the  most  literal  translations  that  could 
be  given,  with  all  that  was  possible  of  their  idiom,  hosvmuch- 
soever  the  version  might  be  embarrassed  by  that  aim  at- 
exactness.  Though  her  fancy  was  prompt,  and  she  was,  as 

H  2 


100  MRS.  RADCLIFFE. 

will  readily  be  supposed,  qualified  in  many  respects  for  con- 
versation, she  had  not  the  confidence  and  presence  of  mind 
without  which  a  person  conscious  of  being  observed  can 
scarcely  be  at  ease,  except  in  long-tried  society.  Yet  she 
had  not  been  without  some  good  examples  of  what  must 
have  been  ready  conversation,  in  more  extensive  circles. 
Besides  that  a  great  part  of  her  youth  had  been  passed  in 
the  residences  of  her  superior  relatives,  she  had  the  advantage 
of  being  much  loved,  when  a  child,  by  the  late  Mr.  Bentley ; 
to  whom,  on  the  establishment  of  the  fabric  known  by  the 
name  of  Wedgwood  and  Bentley's,  was  appropriated  the 
superintendence  of  all  that  related  to  form  and  design.  Mr. 
Wedgwood  was  the  intelligent  man  of  commerce,  and  the 
able  chemist;  Mr.  Bentley  the  man  of  more  general  litera- 
ture, and  of  taste  in  the  arts.  One  of  her  mother's  sisters 
was  married  to  Mr.  Bentley ;  and,  during  the  life  of  her 
aunt,  who  was  accomplished  '  according  to  the  moderation,' 
—  may  I  say,  the  wise  moderation  ?  —  of  that  day,  the  little 
niece  was  .a  favourite  guest  at  Chelsea,  and  afterwards  at 
Turnham  Green,  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bentley  resided.  At 
their  house  she  saw  several  persons  of  distinction  for  literature; 
and  others  who,  without  having  been  so  distinguished,  were 
beneficial  objects  of  attention  for  their  minds  and  their  man- 
ners. Of  the  former  class  the  late  Mrs.  Montague,  and  once, 
I  think,  Mrs.  Piozzi ;  of  the  latter,  Mrs.  Ord.  The  gentle- 
man called  Athenian  Stuart  was  also  a  visitor  there. 

"  Let  me  now  request  your  permission  to  say  a  few  words 
upon  two  circumstances  which  gave  Mrs.  RadclifFe  some  un- 
easiness when  they  occurred,  ,and  of  one  of  which  she  had 
indeed  often  a  very  painful  remembrance,  though  her  unwil- 
lingness to  appear  before  the  public  in  any  sort  of  contention 
would  not  permit  her  to  mention  it  otherwise  than  to  a  very 
few  friends.  In  the  published  correspondence  of  the  late 
Miss  Seward,  is  a  letter,  dated  May  21,  1799,  in  which,  after 
mentioning  the  dramas  of  Miss  Baillie,  the  writer  gives  the 
following  as  a  quotation  from  a  letter  of  a  Mrs.  Jackson, 
(whom  Miss  S.  calls  her  ( literary  friend  and  correspondent') : 


MRS.  RADCLIFFE.  101 

*  Before  their  author  was  known,  I  observed  so  much  of  the 
power  and  defects  of  Mrs.  Radcliffe's  compositions  in  these 
dramas,  as  to  believe  them  hers;  and  I  hear  she  owns  them. 
Mrs.  RadclifFe,  in  whatever  she  writes,  attentive  solely  to  the 
end,  is  not  sufficiently  attentive  to  observe  probability  and 
unity  of  character  in  the  means  she  uses  to  attain  it.  She 
bends  her  plan  —  or,  if  it  will  not  bend,  she  breaks  it  to  her 
catastrophe,  instead  of  making  the  catastrophe  grow  out  of 
the  preceding  events.  Still  she  always  takes  strong  hold  of 
the  reader's  feelings ;  and  effects  her  purpose  boldly,  if  not 
regularly.  Her  descriptive  talent,  used  to  satiety  in  her 
novels,  is  here  employed  with  more  temperance,  and  conse- 
quently to  better  purpose.'  Mrs.  RadclifFe  was  greatly  af- 
fected by  the  imputation  in  the  first  of  these  sentences.  It 
was  indeed  indirectly  removed,  or  greatly  weakened,  by  two 
letters  of  a  few  months  later  date,  —  in  one  of  which,  Miss  Se- 
ward,  speaking  of  the  Plays  on  the  Passions,  says,  c  My 
literary  friends  now  assert  that  they  are  not  Mrs.  Radcliffe's ;' 
and  in  another,  6  The  literary  world  now  asserts,  that  the 
Plays  on  the  Passions  are  not  Mrs.  Radcliffe's  ;'  —  for,  if  Mrs. 
Radcliffe  had  owned  them,  it  is  scarcely  probable  that  the 
literary  world  would  have  so  promptly  and  positively  denied 
them  to  her,  (the  real  author  not  having  publicly  asserted  her 
right,)  or,  at  least,  would  have  omitted  to  accompany  their 
contradiction  with  some  well-deserved  reproof  of  the  infamous 
claim.  There  was,  however,  no  direct  retraction  of  the 
alleged  hearsay  which  Miss  S.  had  thus  chosen  to  leave  upon 
record  ;  and  Mrs.  Radcliffe  found  little  relief  in  the  virtual  refu- 
tation. She  learned  that  Mrs.  Jackson,  after  having  resided 
at  Bath,  had  removed  to  Edinburgh.  Mr.  Davies  the  book- 
seller, (of  the  eminent  firm  of  Cadell  and  Davies,)  who  had 
opportunities  of  procuring  information  as  to  whatsoever  was 
literary  in  Edinburgh,  was  requested  to  inquire  whether  Mrs. 
Jackson  was  then  in  that  city,  in  order  that  Mrs*  Ratcliflfe 
might  ask  from  whom  Mrs.  J.  had  heard  the  report.  The 
answer  to  inquiries  made  at  his  request  was,  that  the  Mrs. 

Jackson  who  appeared  to  be  meant  had  left  Edinburgh  ;  that 

Hq 
o 


102  MRS.  KADCLIFFE. 

the  place  of  her  subsequent  residence  had  not  been  learned ; 
and  that  she  was  not  even  supposed  to  be  living.  Thus  the 
subject  was  dropped ;  for  to  Miss  Baillie  herself  Mrs.  Rad- 
cliffe  could  address  nothing  but  protestations,  which  could  not 
prove  a  negative,  and  which  might  be  held  intrusive ;  as  there 
was  no  reason  to  suppose  that  that  lady  had  ever  credited  the 
report.  It  was  utterly  untrue.  The  whole  conduct  of  Mrs. 
Radcliffe  must  have  shown  that  she  was  incapable,  not  only 
of  seeking,  but  of  desiring  any  illegitimate  fame,  —  of  any 
indirect  means  of  increasing  the  praise  which  she  could  not 
fail  to  know  was  given  to  her  writings.  She  had  within  her 
reach  abundance  of  such  means.  It  is  within  the  knowledge 
of  persons  yet  alive,  that  care  was  taken,  and  solicitations 
used,  to  prevent  the  issuing  of  any  factitious  commerfdation. 
*  O  grant  me  honest  fame,  or  grant  me  none !'  was  never 
more  sincerely  wished  than  by  her.  The  delusion  which 
persuades  some  to  be  gratified  by  praises  prompted  by  them- 
selves, or  on  their  behalf,  was  matter  of  astonishment  to  her 
at  all  times ;  and  as  to  pecuniary  profit,  a  silence  of  more 
than  twenty  years  has  shown  how  little  she  was  inclined  to 
make  even  a  fair  demand  for  that.  Is  it  credible,  that  a  per- 
son, favoured  as  she  was  with  genuine  esteem,  should  resort 
to  a  desperate  and  abandoned  adventure,  which,  after  a  few 
weeks  or  days  of  stolen  fame,  must  expose  her  to  a  life  of 
disgrace?  For  she  could  not  expect  that  the  author  of  the 
Dramas,  however  little  inclined  to  make  an  unprovoked  ap- 
propriation of  them,  would  suffer  them  to  be  claimed  by 
another.  There  was  not  the  slightest  pretence  for  the  impu- 
tation. No  person  ever  asked  Mrs.  Radcliffe  if  she  was  the 
author  of  the  Dramas ;  it  was  never  hinted  to  her  that  they 
were  conjectured  to  be  hers;  she  never  knew  the  report^ 
except  from  Miss  S.'s  letters  :  she  therefore  could  hot  give  it 
even  the  indirect  encouragement  of  designedly  omitting  to 
contradict  it. 

"  I  have  been  tedious  upon  this  subject,  but  it  was  a  great 
one  with  the  deceased ;  and  if  it  be  possible  that  her  spirit, 
now,  as  I  humbly  hope,  beatified,  can  know  what  is  passing 


MRS.  RADCLIFFE.  103 

here,  may  this  asseveration  of  her  innocence,  solemnly  made 
on  her  behalf,  be  one  of  its  feeblest  gratifications  ! 

"  The  other  uneasiness  alluded  to  was  very  slight,  in  com- 
parison with  this.  A  note  added  to  one  of  the  letters  of  the 
late  Mrs.  Carter  was  the  occasion  of  it.  The  letter,  as  far  as 
I  recollect,  (the  book  is  not  now  near  me,)  had  mentioned 
Mrs.  Radcliffe's  writings  with  praise.  The  note  says,  that 
*  Mrs.  Carter  had  no  personal  acquaintance  with  Mrs.  Rad- 
cliffe.' This  is  strictly  true;  but  as  the  remark  may  be  mis- 
understood to  imply  that  Mrs.  Carter  had  rejected,  or  avoided, 
or  would  have  rejected,  or  avoided,  that  acquaintance,  it  can- 
not be  improper  to  show  that  she  had  in  some  measure  sought 
it.  The  following  short  correspondence  is  sufficient  upon  the 
subject :  — 

"  '  If  Mrs.  Radcliffe  is  not  engaged,  Mrs.  Carter  will  have 
the  pleasure  of  calling  upon  her  about  twelve  o'clock  to- 
morrow morning.' 

"  '  Mrs.  Radcliffe  is  extremely  sorry  that  an  engagement 
to  go  into  the  country  to-morrow,  for  some  time,  on  account 
of  Mr.  R's  state  of  health,  which  is  very  critical,  will  deprive 
her  of  the  honour  intended  her  by  Mrs.  Carter ;  for  which 
she  requests  Mrs.  C.  to  believe  that  she  has  a  full  and  proper 
respect/ 

"  There  is  no  date  to  either  of  these  notes;  but  that  of 
Mrs.  Carter  enclosed  the  following  letter:  — 

«  '  Bath,  April  18*4,  1799. 
"  <  Dear  Madam, 

"  *  I  venture  to  give  you  this  trouble,  at  the  request  of 
Mrs.  Carter,  whose  admirable  talents,  and  far  more  admirable 
virtues,  are  too  well  known  to  need  any  introduction  from  me. 
She  very  much  wishes  to  have  the  pleasure  of  knowing  you; 
and  will  deliver  this  letter,  if  she  has  the  good  fortune  of 
i  nding  you  at  home.  As  J  am  persuaded  the  acquaintance 

R  4 


104  MRS.  RADCLIFFE. 

must  afford  mutual  satisfaction,  I  could  not  refuse  the  request 
with  which  Mrs.  Carter  honoured  me;  though  it  is  made  on 
the  supposition  of  my  having  some  degree  of  interest  with 
you,  to  which  I  have  no  claim,  except  from  the  very  sincere 
admiration  I  have  ever  felt  for  your  talents,  and  the  regard 
and  esteem  with  which  I  am,  dear  Madam, 

"  'Your  obliged  and  affectionate  humble  servant, 

"  <H.  M.  BOWDLER.' 

"  '  P.  S.  If  Mrs.  Carter  does  not  deliver  this  letter  herself, 
she  will,  1  believe,  take  an  early  opportunity  of  waiting  on  you, 
with  a  very  amiable  friend  of  mine,  Miss  Shipley,  who  has 
promised  to  carry  her  in  her  carriage/ 

"  I  intreat  you  to  excuse  the  length  of  my  communication 
on  these  subjects,  in  consideration  of  the  feelings  with  which 
it  is  unavoidably  made.  In  other  respects,  the  reception 
which  Mrs.  Radcliffe  experienced  far  exceeded  her  hopes. 
Praise,  unsolicited  praise,  reached  her  ear,  directly  or  in- 
directly, from  professed  critics,  from  some  of  the  first  scholars 
of  the  age,  and  even  from  statesmen,  whose  attention  she  had 
little  expected  to  excite.  Of  censure  she  had  as  small  a  share 
as  could  be,  considering  her  distinction ;  and  that,  too,  chiefly 
from  the  writers  of  other  novels  or  romances,  whose  candour 
upon  the  subject  may  be  suspected;  since  it  is  certain  that  no 
writer  of  fictitious  narrative  is  required,  otherwise  than  by 
his  or  her  own  motives,  to  deliver  an  opinion  upon  con- 
temporaries. She  never  spoke  of  their  writings,  except  when 
she  could  have  the  delight,  which  she  often  had,  of  expressing 
admiration  ;  or  when,  indeed,  she  had  the  other  entertainment, 
of  observing  that  those  who  betrayed  a  wish  to  expel  her 
violently  from  the  field  of  literature,  or  at  least  to  close  it 
roughly  against  her  as  she  retired,  seldom  failed  to  imitate 
her  in  one  part  of  their  works,  after  having  endeavoured  to 
proscribe  her  by  another.  If  these  had  been  only  the  feeble, 
they  might  be  pitied,  or  unnoticed :  but  there  were  others  ; 
and  I  cannot  refrain  from  saying  of  the  latter,  that,  as  the 


MRS.  RADCL1FFE.  105 

degree  of  temptation  determines  in  some  tneasure  the  degree 
of  an  offence,  so  the  poverty  of  their  hearts  must  be  nearly  in 
proportion  to  the  greatness  of  their  talents.  Had  there  been 
any  unworthy  intention,  or  tendency,  in  her  writings,  there 
can  be  few  classes  of  composition  in  which  it  would  not  be 
meritorious  to  reprobate  them :  but  it  is  beyond  dispute  that 
her  works  were  never  injurious  to  morality ;  and  that  their 
tendency,  however  feeble  in  this  respect,  was  often  to  promote 
benevolent  moderation  in  prosperity,  and  pious  confidence 
under  affliction. 


The  following  is  a  list  of  Mrs.  Radcliffe's  works,  nearly,  we 
believe,  in  the  order  in  ^which  they  were  published  : — 

The  Castles  of  Athlin  and  Dumblaine. 

The  Sicilian  Romance. 

The  Romance  of  the  Forest. 

A  Journey  through  Holland,  in  the  Year  1793. 

The  Mysteries  of  Udolpho. 

The  Italians. 

We  understand  that  Mrs.  Radcliife  left  several  manuscripts, 
some  of  them  in  a  fit  state  for  the  press ;  but  we  do  not  know 
whether  or  not  the  public  may  expect  the  gratification  of 
their  perusal. 


10f) 


No.  V. 
MR.  ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD. 

IF  ever  there  was  an  instance  of  poetical  genius  triumphing 
over  every  possible  disadvantage  and  difficulty,  it  was  in  the 
case  of  the  amiable,  but  eventually  unfortunate  subject  of  the 
present  memoir.  We  are  not  aware  that  our  annals  afford 
any  precedent  of  a  writer  doing  so  much,  with  so  little  assist- 
ance from  art  or  accident.  Dodsley,  though  once  in  a  menial 
capacity,  had  subsequently  an  opportunity  of  cultivating  his 
talents  by  an  association  "with  the  wits  of  his  age ;  Bruce,  the 
son  of  a  poor  weaver,  and  Burns,  himself  a  ploughman,  were 
born  and  lived  in  a  country,  in  which  poverty  is  little  or  no 
bar  to  the  acquisition  of  learning ;  the  education  of  Chatterton 
was  not  wholly  neglected ;  and  Falconer,  who,  as  it  is  believed, 
was  bred  a  common  sailor,  must  evidently  have  had  friends 
who  attended  to  his  earlier  years.  But  of  Robert  Bloomfield, 
whose  name  posterity  will  rank  with  some  of  those  we  have 
mentioned,  the  following  is  the  simple  and  concise  history:  — 
He  was  born  the  third  of  December,  1766,  and  was  the 
youngest  child  of  George  Bloomfield,  a  taylor,  at  Honington, 
a  village  between  Euston  and  Troston,  about  eight  miles  N.E. 
of  Bury  St.  Edmund's,  in  Suffolk.  Robert  lost  his  father 
when  he  was  about  six  months  old.  His  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Manby,  was  a  pious  and  exem- 
plary woman.  She  was  the  village  schoolmistress,  and  in- 
structed her  own  children  with  the  others.  Little  Robert  thus 
learned  to  read  as  soon  as  he  learned  to  speak.  As  his  mo- 
ther, though  left  a  widow  with  six  small  children,  was  desirous, 
with  the  assistance  of  friends,  to  give  each  of  them  some  edu- 


ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD.  107 

cation  beyond  what  she  herself  was  capable  of  imparting, 
Robert  was  sent  to  a  very  worthy  man,  a  Mr.  Rodwell,  of 
Ixworth,  a  neighbouring  village,  to  be  improved  in  writing. 
At  Mr.  Rodwell's  school,  however,  he  did  not  attend  for 
more  than  two  or  three  months ;  nor  was  he  ever  at  any 
other ;  his  mother,  when  he  was  about  seven  years  old,  marry- 
ing a  second  husband,  John  Glover,  by  whom  she  had 
another  family. 

When  Robert  was  not  above  eleven  years  of  age,  his  uncle 
by  marriage,  in  other  words,  his  mother's  sister's  husband,  a 
farmer  of  Sapiston,  (a  village  adjoining  Honington,)  of  the 
name  of  William  Austin,  took  him  into  his  house ;  by  which 
means  Robert's  mother  was  relieved  of  any  other  expence 
than  that  of  rinding  hrm  a  few  things  to  wear.  Even  that, 
however,  was  more  than  she  well  knew  how  to  accomplish. 
She  wrote  therefore  to  her  sons,  George  and  Nathaniel,  then 
journeymen  shoemakers,  in  London,  to  assist  her;  mentioning 
that  their  brother  Robert  was  so  small  of  his  age,  that  Mr. 
Austin  said  it  was  not  likely  he  would  ever  be  able  to  earn 
his  living  by  hard  labour.  George,  the  elder  of  the  brothers, 
replied,  that  if  his  mother  would  let  him  take  the  boy,  he 
would  give  him  board  and  lodging,  and  teach  him  to  make 
shoes;  and  Nathaniel  promised  to  clothe  him.  Upon  this 
offer,  the  mother  removed  him  from  Mr.  Austin's  on  the  29th 
of  June,  1781,  arid  accompanied  him  to  London :  observing, 
that  she  should  never  be  happy  if  she  did  not  herself  put  him 
into  his  brother's  hands.  She  charged  her  son  George,  as 
he  valued  a  mother's  blessing,  to  watch  over  his  little  brother, 
to  set  him  a  good  example,  and  never  to  forget  that  he  had 
lost  his  father;  a  solemn  and  pathetic  adjuration,  which  seems 
to  have  been  most  religiously  attended  to.  The  personal 
appearance  of  Robert  at  this  time,  is  thus  pleasingly  and 
affectionately  described  by  his  brother  :  — 

"  I  have  him  in  my  mind's  eye,  a  little  boy,  not  bigger 
than  boys  generally  are  at  twelve  years  old.  When  I  met 


108  ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD, 

him  and  his  mother  at  the  inn  (in  Bishopsgate  Street),  he 
strutted  before  us,  dressed  just  as  he  came  from  keeping  sheep, 
hogs,  &c. ;  his  shoes  filled  full  of  stumps  in  the  heels.  He, 
looking  about  him,  slipped  up :  his  nails  were  unused  to  a  flat 
pavement,  I  remember  viewing  him  as  he  scampered  up,  — 
how  small  he  was  !  Little  I  thought  that  that  fatherless  boy 
would  be  one  day  known  and  esteemed  by  the  most  learned,  the 
most  respected,  the  wisest,  and  the  best  men  of  the  kingdom." 

Mr.  George  Bloornfield  then  lived  at  Mr.  Simm's,  No.  7, 
Pitcher's  Court,  Bell  Alley,  Coleman  Street.  It  is  customary 
in  such  houses  as  are  let  to  poor  people  in  London,  to  have 
light  garrets,  fit  for  mechanics  to  work  in.  In  the  garret  of 
the  house  just  described,  in  which  there  were  two  turn-up  beds, 
and  in  which  five  journeymen  shoemakers  worked,  Mr.  George 
Bloomfield  received  his  young  brother. 

Being  all  single  men,  lodgers  at  a  shilling  a  week  each, 
their  beds  were  coarse,  and  their  accommodation  of  every 
kind  far  from  being  clean  and  snug,  like  what  Robert  had 
left  at  Sapiston.  Robert  was  their  little  messenger,  and  was 
employed  to  procure  every  thing  they  required.  At  noon,  he 
fetched  their  dinners  from  the  cook's  shop;  and  if  any  of  the 
workmen  wanted  some  particular  article,  he  would  send  Robert 
for  it,  and  then  assist  him  in  his  jobs,  and  teach  him,  as  a 
recompence  for  his  trouble.  Every  day,  the  boy  who  came 
from  the  public  house  for  the  pewter  pots,  and  to  know  what 
porter  was  needed,  brought  the  newspaper  of  yesterday  with 
him.  The  journeymen  had  been  accustomed  to  take  the 
reading  of  the  paper  by  turns ;  but  after  Robert  arrived,  he 
generally  read  to  them  ;  because  his  time  was  of  least  value. 
In  the  execution  of  this  task  he  frequently  met  with  words 
that  he  was  unacquainted  with ;  of  which  he  always  complained. 
One  day,  his  brother  George  happening  to  see  at  a  book-stall 
a  small  dictionary,  which  had  been  very  ill-used,  bought  it 
for  Robert  for  four-pence.  Thus  aided,  he  was  able  in  a 
short  time  to  read  the  Parliamentary  debates  with  ease;  and 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD.  109 

to  comprehend  the  speeches  of  Burke,  Fox,  North,  and  the 
other  statesmen  of  that  day. 

One  Sunday,  after  strolling  the  whole  day  in  the  country, 
the  brothers  went  by  accident  into  a  meeting-house  in  the 
Old  Jewry,  where  a  dissenting  minister  was  lecturing.  This 
preacher,  whose  name  was  Fawcett,  and  whose  language  and 
action  were  very  rhetorical,  although  his  discourse  was  sound 
and  rational,  filled  Robert  with  astonishment.  He  was  so 
delighted,  indeed,  that  he  thenceforward  attended  the  lecture 
whenever  he  could ;  and,  although  the  meeting-house  was  so 
crowded  with  the  most  respectable  persons  that  Robert  was 
compelled  to  stand  in  the  aisle,  he  always  quickened  his  pace, 
in  order  to  reach  town  on  a  Sunday  evening  in  time  to  be 
present.  Of  this  gentleman,  Robert  soon  learned  to  accent 
what  he  called  "  hard  words ;"  and  in  other  respects  greatly 
to  improve  himself,  —  Sometimes,  but  not  frequently,  he  ac- 
companied his  brother  George  to  the  Debating  Society  then 
held  at  Coachmaker's  Hall;  and  on  a  few  occasions  they 
went  to  Covent  Garden  Theatre.  Those  were  the  only  op- 
portunities he  ever  enjoyed  of  hearing  public  speakers.  As 
to  books,  he  had  to  wade  through  two  or  three  folios:  a 
History  of  England,  The  British  Traveller,  a  Book  of  Geo- 
graphy, &c.  These,  however,  he  read  as  a  task,  and  merely 
to  oblige  such  of  the  journeymen  as  bought  them;  and  as 
they  came  in  weekly,  in  sixpenny  numbers,  he  spent  about 
as  many  hours  in  reading  as  other  boys  spent  in  play. 

At  that  time  his  brother  George  took  in  the  London 
Magazine,  in  which  publication  about  two  sheets  were  appro- 
priated to  a  review.  Robert  wras  always  eager  to  read  this 
review.  Here  he  could  see  what  literary  men  were  doing, 
and  could  learn  to  judge  in  some  measure  of  the  merits  of 
various  works  as  they  appeared.  The  poetry,  too,  always 
commanded  his  attention.  Observing  this  circumstance,  and 
hearing  him  with  some  surprise  one  day  repeat  a  song  which 
he  had  composed  to  an  old  tune,  his  brother  George  per- 
suaded him  to  try  if  the  editor  of  their  paper  would  give  his 
verses  a  place.  He  did  so :  and  thus  was  kindled  the  flame 


110  ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

of  ambition  in  the  youthful  poet's  breast.  This,  the  first  off- 
spring of  Robert  Bloomfield's  muse  that  appeared  in  print, 
was  called  "  The  Milk  Maid,  or  the  First  of  May."  Em- 
boldened by  his  success,  he  soon  produced  another  little 
piece,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  "  The  Sailor's  Return ;" 
which  was  also  published  in  the  same  newspaper.  Indeed, 
he  had  so  generally  and  diligently  improved  himself,  that 
although  only  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  of  age,  his  brother 
George  and  his  fellow-workmen  began  to  be  instructed  by 
his  conversation. 

About  this  period  a  man  came  to  lodge  in  the  same  house, 
who  was  troubled  with  fits.  Robert  was  so  much  shocked  to 
see  this  poor  creature  drawn  into  frightful  forms,  and  to  hear 
his  horrid  screams,  that  his  brother  was  forced  to  remove. 
They  went  to  Blue- Hart  Court,  Bell  Alley ;  and  in  their  new 
garret  found  a  singular  character  of  the  name  of  James  Kay, 
a  native  of  Dundee.  He  was  a  middle-aged  man,  of  a  good 
understanding,  but  a  furious  Calvinist.  He  had  many  books, 
some  of  which  he  did  not  value,  such  as  Thomson's  Seasons, 
Paradise  Lost,  and  a  few  novels.  These  he  lent  to  Robert, 
who  spent  all  his  leisure  hours  in  reading  the  Seasons,  which 
he  was  now  capable  of  understanding.  His  brother  says,  that 
he  never  heard  him  praise  any  book  so  highly  as  that. 

In  the  year  1784-  a  question  was  agitated  among  the 
journeymen  shoemakers,  whether  those  who  had  learned 
without  serving  an  apprenticeship  could  follow  the  trade,  as 
journeymen ;  that  they  could  not,  as  masters,  had  long  been 
decided.  The  person  by  whom  George  and  Robert  Bloom- 
fitld  were  employed,  a  Mr.  Chamberlayne,  of  Cheapside,  took 
an  active  part  against  the  lawful  journeymen,  and  even  went 
so  far  as  to  pay  off  every  man  that  worked  for  him  who  had 
joined  their  clubs.  This  so  exasperated  the  journeymen,  that 
their  acting  committee  soon  looked  for  "  unlawful  men,"  as 
they  called  them,  among  Chamberlayne's  workmen.  They 
found  out  little  Robert,  and  threatened  to  prosecute  Chamber- 
layne for  employing  him,  and  to  prosecute  his  brother  George 
for  teaching  him.  Chamberlayne  requested  cf  the  brother  to 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD.  Ill 

allow  the  matter  to  be  brought  to  trial ;  for  that  he  would 
defend  the  action,  and  that  neither  George  nor  Robert  should 
suffer.  In  the  mean  time,  George  was  much  insulted  for 
having  refused  to  join  those  who  called  themselves  "  the  law- 
ful craft."  In  the  warmth  of  his  resentment,  he  addressed  a 
very  indignant  letter  on  the  subject  to  one  of  the  most  active 
of  the  committee-men,  which  made  matters  still  worse.  Robert, 
naturally  fond  of  peace,  and  fearful  for  his  brother's  personal 
safety,  begged  to  be  suffered  to  retire  from  the  storm.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  returned  to  Suffolk;  and  Mr.  Austin  kindly  bade 
him  make  Sapiston  his  home  until  he  could  re-visit  London. 
Here,  with  his  mind  still  glowing  with  the  fine  descriptions  of 
rural  scenery  which  he  had  found  in  Thomson's  Seasons,  he 
retraced  the  very  fields  in  which  he  began  to  think.  Free 
from  the  smoke,  the  nois'e,  the  contention  of  the  city,  he  im- 
bibed that  love  of  rural  simplicity  and  rural  innocence  which 
qualified  him  in  a  great  degree  to  be  the  writer  of  such  a 
poem  as  "  The  Farmer's  Boy." 

At  Sapiston  he  lived  two  months.  At  length,  as  the  dis- 
putes in  the  shoemaking  trade  remained  undecided,  he  ac- 
cepted an  offer  of  a  Mr.  Dudbridge,  the  landlord  of  the  last 
house  in  which  he  had  lodged  in  London,  and  a  freeman  of 
the  city,  to  take  him  apprentice;  in  order,  at  all  events,  to 
secure  him  from  any  consequences  of  the  existing  litigation. 
His  brother  George  paid  five  shillings  for  him,  by  way  of 
form,  as  a  premium.  Dudbridge  acted  very  honourably,  and 
never  took  any  advantage  of  the  power  which  the  indentures 
gave  him. 

When  Robert  was  between  nineteen  and  twenty  years  of 
age,  by  which  time  he  could  work  very  expertly  at  his  trade, 
(that  of  a  ladies'  shoemaker),  his  brother  George  left  London. 
After  that  period  he  studied  music,  and  became  a  good 
player  on  the  violin.  His  brother  Nathaniel  had  married  a 
Woolwich  woman  :  and  it  happened  that  Robert  took  a  fancy 
to  a  comely  young  girl  of  that  town,  Mary  Anne  Church, 
who  was  the  daughter  of  a  boat-builder  in  the  government 
yard;  and  whom  he  married  on  the  12th  of  December,  1790. 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

Like  most  poor  men,  he  got  a  wife  first,  and  had  to  procure 
household  stuff  afterwards.  It  took  him  some  vears  to  work 

•/ 

himself  out  of  ready  furnished  lodgings.  At  length,  by  dint 
of  hard  labour,  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  a  bed  of  his  own ; 
and  he  then  hired  a  room  up  one  pair  of  stairs,  at  No.  1 4-, 
Bell  Alley,  Coleman  Street;  the  landlord  of  the  house  kindly 
giving  him  leave  to  sit  and  work  in  the  light  garret,  two  pair 
of  stairs  higher.  In  that  garret,  amidst  six  or  seven  other 
workmen,  his  active  mind  employed  itself  in  composing  "  The 
Farmer's  Boy." 

The  manner  in  which  this  beautiful  poem  was  composed 
affords  an  instance  of  disregard  of  difficulty,  and  of  extra- 
ordinary powers  of  arrangement  and  retention,  not  to  be  sur- 
passed in  the  history  of  genius.  Either  from  the  contracted 
state  of  his  finances,  or  for  some  other  reason,  Robert  Bloom- 
field  actually  composed  the  latter  part  of  his  "  Autumn,"  and 
the  whole  of  his  "  Winter"  in  his  head,  without  committing 
a  single  line  to  paper.'  But  that  was  not  all  :  he  went  a 
step  further.  He  not  only  composed  and  committed  that 
part  of  his  work  to  his  memory,  but  he  corrected  it  all  in  his 
head ;  so  that,  as  he  himself  said,  when  it  was  thus  prepared, 
"  he  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  write  it  down." 

When  completely  transferred  to  paper,  which  was  in  the 
year  1798,  Robert  felt  a  strong  anxiety,  tinctured  with  a 
justifiable  pride,  that  it  should  meet  the  eye  of  his  mother  in 
print.  Stimulated  by  this  filial  and  amiable  motive,  he  offered 
it  to  several  London  booksellers  of  eminence,  — but  in  vain. 
One  of  his  applications  was  to  the  proprietor  and  editor  of 
the  Monthly  Magazine ;  who,  in  his  number  for  September, 
1823,  published  the  following  account  of  the  affair : 

"  He  brought  his  poems  to  our  office ;  and,  though  his 
unpolished  appearance,  his  coarse  hand-writing,  and  wretched 
orthography,  afforded  no  prospect  that  his  production  could 
be  printed,  yet  he  found  attention  by  his  repeated  calls,  and 
by  the  humility  of  his  expectations,  which  were  limited  to 
half  a-dozen  copies  of  the  Magazine.  At  length,  on  his  name 
being  announced  when  a  literary  gentleman,  particularly  con. 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD.  115 

versant  in  rural  economy,  happened  to  be  present,  the  poem 
was  formally  re-examined,  and  its  general  aspect  excited  the 
risibility  of  that  gentleman  in  so  pointed  a  manner,  that 
Bloomfield  was  called  into  the  room,  and  exhorted  not  to 
waste  his  time,  and  neglect  his  employment,  in  making  vain 
attempts,  and  particularly  in  treading  on  the  ground  which 
Thomson  had  sanctified.  His  earnestness  and  confidence, 
however,  led  the  editor  to  advise  him  to  consult  his  country- 
man, Mr.  Capel  Lofft,  of  Troston,  to  whom  he  gave  him  a 
letter  of  introduction.  On  his  departure,  the  gentleman 
present  warmly  complimented  the  editor  on  the  sound  advice 
which  he  had  given  *  the  poor  fellow;'  and,  it  was  mutually 
conceived,  that  an  industrious  man  was  thereby  likely  to  be 
saved  from  a  ruinous  in/atuation." 

Foiled  for  a  time,  but  not  disheartened,  Bloomfield  dis- 
patched the  poem  in  its  manuscript  state  to  Suffolk,  for  the 
inspection  of  his  mother  and  his  friends.  Some  of  the  latter 
also  urging  its  being  sent  to  Mr.  Capel  Lofft,  a  gentleman 
long  celebrated  in  the  republic  of  letters  for  his  numerous  at- 
tainments, and  not  less  known  among  his  neighbours  and 
friends  for  his  benevolence  and  kindness  of  heart,  happily  for 
all  parties  it  was  transmitted  to  him  in  November,  1798,  by 
Mr.  George  Bloomfield ;  with  a  request  that  he  would  read  it, 
and  communicate  his  opinion  upon  it. 

By  Mr.  Lofft  the  merits  of  "  The  Farmer's  Boy"  were 
speedily  and  justly  appreciated.  The  impression  which  it 
made  upon  him  he  thus  states :  — 

"  At  first,  I  confess,  seeing  it  divided  into  the  four  seasons. 
I  had  to  encounter  a  prepossession  not  very  advantageous  to 
any  writer ;  —  that  the  author  was  treading  in  a  path  already 
so  admirably  trod  by  Thomson ;  and  might  be  adding  one 
more  to  an  attempt  already  so  often,  but  so  injudiciously  and 
unhappily  made,  of  transmuting  that  noble  poem  from  blank 
verse  into  rhyme ;  from  its  own  pure  native  gold  into  an  al- 
loyed metal  of  incomparably  less  splendour,  permanence,  and 
worth. 

VOL.  VIII.  I 


114.  ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

"  I  had  soon,  however,  the  pleasure  of  finding  myself  re- 
lieved from  that  apprehension,  and  of  discovering  that,  al- 
though the  delineation  of  Rural  Scenery  naturally  branches 
itself  into  these  divisions,  there  was  little  else  except  the 
general  qualities  of  a  musical  ear,  flowing  numbers,  feeling, 
piety,  poetic  imagery  and  animation,  a  taste  for  the  pic- 
turesque, a  true  sense  of  the  natural  and  pathetic,  force  of 
thought,  and  liveliness  of  imagination,  which  were  in  common 
between  Thomson  and  this  author.  And  these  are  qualities 
which,  whoever  has  the  eye,  the  heart,  the  awakened  and 
surrounding  intellect,  and  the  diviner  sense  of  the  poet,  which 
alone  can  deserve  the  name,  must  possess. 

"  But,  with  these  general  characters  of  true  poetry,  6  The 
Farmer's  Boy'  has,  as  I  have  said,  a  character  of  its  own.  It 
is  discriminated  as  much  as  the  circumstances,  and  habits, 
and  situation,  and  ideas  consequently  associated  which  are  so 
diverse  in  the  two  authors,  could  make  it  different.  Simplicity, 
sweetness,  a  natural  tenderness,  that  molle  atque  facetum  which 
Horace  celebrates  in  the  Eclogues  of  Virgil,  will  be  found  to 
belong  to  it." 

Mr.  Lofft  immediately  exerted  himself  most  strenuously  to 
obtain  the  speedy  publication  of  the  poem.  Having  revised 
the  manuscript,  making  occasional  corrections  with  respect  to 
orthography,  punctuation,  &c.,  and  sometimes  in  the  gram- 
matical construction,  but  not  adding,  or  substantially  altering, 
a  single  line  through  the  whole  poem,  Mr.  Lofft  sent  it  to  a 
Friend  of  his,  Thomas  Hill,  Esq.,  one  of  the  two  joint  pro- 
prietors of  the  "Monthly  Mirror;"  a  gentleman,  "whom,"  to 
use  Mr.  Lofft's  own  words,  "  he  knew  to  be  above  prejudice, 
and  who  had  deserved  and  was  deserving  well  of  the  public,, 
in  many  other  instances,  by  his  attention  to  literature  and  the 
elegant  arts."  Mr.  Hill  was  as  much  delighted  with  "  The 
Farmer's  Boy"  as  Mr.  Lofft  had  been ;  and  without  loss  of 
time,  warmly  recommended  the  purchase  of  the  manuscript 
to  Mr.  Hood,  of  the  firm  of  Vernor  and  Hood,  the  publishers 
of  the  "Monthly  Mirror."  It  is  very  gratifying  to  remark  the 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD.  115 

liberality  which  the  youthful  poet  experienced  on  this  occasion. 
The  first  contract  which  Messrs.  Vernor  and  Hood  entered 
into  with  him  was  to  give  him  fifty  pounds  for  the  copy-right, 
out  and  out.  This,  to  one  who  had  in  vain  sought  to  obtain 
half  a-dozen  printed  copies  as  the  remuneration  for  his  pro- 
duction, was  in  itself  pretty  well.  Before  the  work  went  to> 
press,  however,  Mr.  Hood,  after  having  had  several  interviews 
with  Mr.  Hill  on  the  subject,  expressed  himself  so  satisfied 
with  its  merit,  that  he  spontaneously  opened  the  contract,  and 
agreed  to  give  Bloomfield  not  only  fifty  pounds  down,  but 
also  a  moiety  of  the  profits  of  the  first  edition,  with  the  under- 
standing, that  if,  instead  of  profit,  loss  should  result,  that  loss 
should  fall  on  the  publishers  alone.  So  confident,  however, 
was  Mr.  Hood  of  the  .success  of  the  poem,  that  instead  of 
publishing  one  edition,  as  he  at  first  intended,  he  determined 
to  publish  three  or  four  distinct  editions,  on  different-sized 
papers,  and  at  various  prices;  some  of  them  being  very 
splendidly  embellished. 

An  able  and  elegant  preface  having  been  furnished  by  the 
friendly  pen  of  Mr.  Lofft,  containing,  among  other  matter,  an 
interesting  account  of  the  boyish  days  of  Robert  Bloomfield, 
communicated  by  his  excellent  brother  George,  (from  which 
account  we  have  derived  most  of  the  facts  stated  in  the  early 
part  of  this  memoir,)  a  critique  on  his  production,  and  a  high 
and  deserved  eulogy  on  his  personal  character,  —  "  The 
Farmer's  Boy"  at  length  appeared ;  and  so  instant  and  com- 
plete was  its  triumph,  that  the  liberal  publishers  once  more 
extended  their  terms  with  the  author,  by  giving  him  two 
hundred  pounds  in  addition  to  the  fifty  pounds  originally 
stipulated  for,  and  by  securing  to  him  a  moiety  of  the  copy- 
right of  his  poem. 

Few  occurrences,  indeed,  ever  elicited  more  general  and  en- 
thusiastic admiration  than  the  publication  of  "  The  Farmer's 
Boy."  In  private  it  was  universally  read  and  extolled;  and  the 
various  critical  journals  and  other  periodical  works  of  the  time, 
stimulated,  no  doubt,  by  the  ardour  and  zeal  of  Bloomfield's 
kind  and  indefatigable  friends,  Mr.  Lofft  and  Mr.  Hill,  com- 

i  2 


116  ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

bined  in  its  commendation.  Dr.  Parr,  Mr.  Southey,  Di% 
Burney,  Dr.  Watson  (Bishop  of  Llandaff),  Mrs.  Barbauld, 
Dr.  Aikin,  Miss  Seward,  Mrs.  Opie,  Mr.  Dyer,  Dr.  Drake, 
&c.,  were  among  the  eminent  and  accomplished  persons  who 
hastened  to  do  justice  to  the  pretensions  of  the  young  aspirant 
to  fame.  The  remarks  of  the  last-named  gentleman,  in  his 
"  Literary  Hours,"  convey  so  accurate  a  notion  of  the  nature 
and  beauties  of  the  poem,  that  we  beg  leave  to  subjoin  a  few 
extracts  from  them. 

"  From  the  pleasing  duty  of  describing  such  a  character," — 
the  personal  character  of  Bloomfield,  — "  let  us  now  turn 
our  attention  to  the  species  of  composition  of  which  his  poem 
is  so  perfect  a  specimen.  It  has  been  observed,  in  my  six- 
teenth number,  that  pastoral  poetry  in  this  country,  with  very 
few  exceptions,  has  exhibited  a  tame  and  servile  adherence  to 
classical  imagery  and  costume ;  at  the  same  time  totally  over- 
looking that  profusion  of  picturesque  beauty,  and  that  origin- 
ality of  manner  and  peculiarity  of  employment,  which  our 
climate  and  our  rustics  every  where  present. 

"  A  few  authors  were  mentioned  in  that  essay  as  having 
judiciously  deviated  from  the  customary  plan ;  to  these  may 
now  be  added  the  name  of  Bloomfield.  '  The  Farmer's  Boy,' 
though  not  assuming  the  form  of  an  eclogue,  being  peculiarly 
and  exclusively  throughout  a  pastoral  composition ;  not,  like 
the  poem  of  Thomson,  taking  a  wide  excursion  through  all  the 
phcenomena  of  the  seasons,  but  nearly  limited  to  the  rural  occu- 
pation and  business  of  the  fields,  the  dairy,  and  the  farm-yard. 

"As  with  these  employments,  however,  the  vicissitudes  of 
the  year  are  immediately  and  necessarily  connected,  Mr. 
Bloomfield  has,  with  propriety,  divided  his  poem  into  four 
books,  affixing  to  those  books  the  titles  of  the  seasons. 
-  "  Such,  indeed,  are  the  merits  of  this  work,  that,  in  true 
pastoral  imagery  and  simplicity,  I  do  not  think  any  pro- 
duction can  be  put  in  competition  with  it  since  the  days  of 
Theocritus. 

"  To  that  charming  simplicity  which  particularizes  the 
Grecian,  are  added  the  individuality,  fidelity,  and  boldness  of 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD.  117 

description  which  render  Thomson  so  interesting  to  the  lovers 
of  nature. 

"  Gesner  possesses  the  most  engaging  sentiment,  and  the 
most  reflned  simplicity  of  manners  ;  but  he  wants  that  rustic 
wildness  and  nai'vete  in  delineation,  characteristic  of  the 
Sicilian,  and  of  the  composition  before  us. 

"  Warner  and  Dray  ton  have  much  to  recommend  them ; 
but  they  are  very  unequal,  and  are  devoid  of  the  sweet  and 
pensive  morality  which  pervades  almost  every  page  of  6  The 
Farmer's  Boy :'  nor  can  they  establish  any  pretensions  to  that 
fecundity  in  painting  the  ceconomy  of  rural  life  which  this 
poem,  drawn  from  actual  experience,  so  richly  displays. 

"It  is  astonishing,  indeed,  what  various  and  striking  cir- 
cumstances, peculiar  to^  the  occupation  of  the  British  farmer, 
and  which  are  adapted  to  all  the  purposes  of  the  pastoral 
muse,  had  escaped  our  poets,  previous  to  the  publication  of 
Mr.  Bloomfield's  work. 

"  Those  who  are  partial  to  the  country  —  and  where  is 
the  man  of  genius  who  feels  not  a  delight  approaching  to 
ecstasy  from  the  contemplation  of  its  scenery,  and  the  hap- 
piness which  its  cultivation  diffuses  ?  —  those  who  have  paid 
attention  to  the  process  of  husbandry,  and  who  view  its  oc- 
currences with  interest,  who  are  at  the  same  time  alive  to  all 
the  minutiae  of  the  animal  and  vegetable  creation,  who  mark 

*  How  Nature  paints  her  colours,  —  how  the  bee 
Sits  on  the  bloom,  extracting  liquid  sweet,'  — 

will  derive  from  the  study  of  this  poem  a  gratification  the 
most  permanent  and  pure. 

"  The  first  book,  entitled  f  Spring,'  opens  with  an  appro* 
priate  invocation.  A  transition  is  then  made  to  the  artless 
character  of  Giles,  the  farmer's  boy;  after  which  the  scene 
near  Euston,  in  Suffolk,  is  described,  and  an  amiable  portrait 
of  Mr.  Austin  immediately  follows.  Seed-time,  harrowing, 
the  devastation  of  the  rooks,  wood-scenery,  the  melody  of 
birds,  cows  milking,  and  the  operations  of  the  dairy,  occupy 
the  chief  part  of  this  season,  which  is  closed  by  a  beautiful 

I  3 


118  ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

personification  of  the  Spring  and  her  attendants,  and  an  admir- 
able delineation  of  the  sportive  pleasures  of  the  young  lambs. 
"  The  second  book,  or  '  Summer,'  commences  with  a 
characteristic  sketch  of  the  prudent,  yet  benevolent  farmer. 
The  genial  influence  of  the  rain  is  then  welcomed ;  to  which 
succeeds  a  most  delicious  picture  of  a  green  and  woody  covert, 
with  all  its  insect  tribe.  The  ascension  of  the  sky-lark,  the 
peaceful  repose  of  Giles,  a  view  of  the  ripening  harvest,  with 
some  moral  reflections  on  nature,  and  her  great  Creator,  are 
introduced;  followed  by  animated  descriptions  of  reaping, 
gleaning,  the  honest  exultation  of  the  farmer,  the  beauty  of 
the  country  girl,  and  the  wholesome  refreshment  of  the  field. 
Animals  teased  by  insects,  the  cruelty  of  docking  horses,  the 
insolence  of  the  gander,  the  apathy  of  the  swine,  are  drawn 
in  a  striking  manner ;  and  the  book  concludes  with  masterly 
pictures  of  a  twilight  repose,  a  midnight  storm  of  thunder  and 
lightning,  and  views  of  the  ancient  and  present  mode  of 
celebrating  harvest-home. 

"  The  third  book,  t  Autumn,'  is  introduced  with  a  deline- 
ation of  forest  scenery,  and  pigs  fattening  on  fallen  acorns. 
Sketches  of  wild  ducks  and  their  haunts,  of  hogs  settling  to 
repose  in  a  wood,  and  of  wheat-sowing,  succeed.  The  sound 
of  village  bells  suggests  a  most  pleasing  digression ;  of  which 
the  church  and  its  pastor,  the  rustic  amusements  of  a 
Sunday,  the  village  maids,  and  a  most  pathetic  description  of 
a  distracted  female,  are  the  prominent  features.  Returning 
to  rural  business,  Giles  is  drawn  guarding  the  rising  wheat 
from  birds,  —  his  little  hut,  with  his  preparation  for  the  re- 
ception of  his  play-mates,  their  treachery,  and  his  disappoint- 
ment, are  conceived  and  coloured  in  an  exquisite  style.  Fox- 
hunting, the  fox-hound's  epitaph,  the  long  autumnal  evenings, 
a  description  of  domestic  fowl,  and  a  welcome  to  the  snowy 
nights  of  winter,  form  the  concluding  topics  of  this  season. 

"  The  fourth  book,  under  the  appellation  of  « Winter,5  is 
ushered  in  by  some  humane  injunctions  for  the  treatment  of 
storm-pinched  cattle.  The  frozen  turnips  are  broken  for 
them ;  and  the  cow-yard  at  night  is  described.  The  convivi- 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD.  119 

ality  of  a  Christmas  evening,  and  the  conversation  round  the 
fire,  with  the  admonitions  from  the  master's  chair,  are  depicted 
in  a  manner  truly  pleasing.  The  sea-boy  and  the  farmer's 
boy  are  contrasted  with  much  effect;  and  the  ploughman 
feeding  his  horses  at  night,  with  the  comparison  between  the 
cart-horse  and  post-horse,  have  great  merit.  The  mastiff 
turned  sheep-biter  is  next  delineated,  succeeded  by  a  descrip- 
tion of  a  moonlight  night,  and  the  appearance  of  a  spectre. 
The  counting  of  the  sheep  in  the  fold,  and  the  adopted  lambs, 
are  beautiful  paintings ;  and  with  the  triumph  of  Giles  on  the 
conclusion  of  the  year,  and  his  address  to  the  Deity,  the  book 
and  poem  close. 

"  Such  are  the  materials  of  which  '  The  Farmer's  Boy*  is 
constructed.  Several  of  the  topics,  it  will  be  perceived,  are 
new  to  poetry ;  and  of  those  which  are  in  their  title  familiar 
to  the  readers  of  our  descriptive  bards,  it  will  be  found  that 
the  imagery  and  adjunctive  circumstances  are  original,  and 
the  effort  of  a  mind  practised  in  the  rare  art  of  selecting  and 
combining  the  most  striking  and  picturesque  features  of  an 
object." 

Dr.  Drake,  after  this,  well  accounts  for  the  poetic  singu- 
larity, that  the  poetry  of  Thomson  should  have  passed  through 
a  mind  so  enthusiastically  enamoured  of  it,  without  impairing 
the  originality  of  its  character  when  exercised  on  a  subject  so 
much  leading  to  imitation.  This  he  explains,  and  justly,  by 
the  vivid  impressions  on  a  most  sensible  and  powerful  ima- 
gination in  his  earliest  youth,  anterior  to  the  study  of  any 
poet.  Dr.  Drake  proceeds  to  express  his  astonishment  at  the 
versification  and  diction  of  the  poem,  and  says :  — 

"  I  am  well  aware  that  smooth  and  flowing  lines  are  of  easy 
purchase,  and  the  property  of  almost  every  poetaster  of  the 
day ;  but  the  versification  of  Mr.  Bloomfield  is  of  another 
character :  it  displays  beauties  of  the  most  positive  kind,  and 
those  witcheries  of  expression  which  are  to  be  acquired  only  by 
the  united  efforts  of  genius  and  study. 

"  The  general  characteristics  of  his  versification  are  facility 
and  sweetness;  that  ease  which  is,  in  fact,  the  result  of  unre* 

I  4 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

mitted  labour,  and  one  of  the  most  valuable  acquisitions  of 
literature.  It  displays  occasionally,  likewise,  a  vigour  and 
a  brilliancy  of  polish  that  might  endure  comparison  with  the 
high-wrought  texture  of  the  muse  of  Darwin.  From  the 
nature  of  his  subject,  however,  this  splendid  mode  of  decor- 
ation could  be  used  with  but  a  sparing  hand ;  and  it  is  not  one 
of  his  least  merits,  that  his  diction  and  harmony  should 
so  admirably  correspond  with  the  scene  which  he  has 
chosen. 

"  To  excel  in  rural  imagery,  it  is  necessary  that  the  poet 
should  diligently  study  nature  for  himself,  and  not  peruse  her, 
as  is  too  common,  '  through  the  spectacles  of  books.'  He 
should  trace  her  in  all  her  windings,  in  her  deepest  recesses, 
in  all  her  varied  forms.  It  was  thus  that  Lucretius  and 
Virgil,  that  Thomson  and  Cowper,  were  enabled  to  unfold 
their  scenery  with  such  distinctness  and  truth :  and  on  this 
plan,  while  wandering  through  his  native  fields,  attentive  to 
6  each  rural  sight,  each  rural  sound,'  has  Mr.  Bloomfield  built 
his  charming  poem. 

"  It  is  a  work  which  proves  how  inexhaustible  are  the 
features  of  the  world  we  inhabit ;  how  from  objects  which  the 
mass  of  mankind  is  daily  accustomed  to  pass  with  indifference 
and  neglect,  genius  can  still  produce  pictures  the  most  fascin- 
ating, and  of  the  most  interesting  tendency.  For  it  is  not  to 
imagery  alone, — though  such  as  is  here  depicted  might  insure 
the  meed  of  fame, —  that  'The  Farmer's  Boy*  will  owe  its 
value  with  us  and  with  posterity.  A  morality  the  most  pa- 
thetic and  pure,  the  feelings  of  a  heart  alive  to  all  the  tenderest 
duties  of  humanity  and  religion,  consecrate  its  glowing  land- 
scapes, and  shed  an  interest  over  them ;  a  spirit  of  devotion, 
that  calm  and  rational  delight,  which  the  goodness  and  great- 
ness of  the  Creator  ought  ever  to  inspire." 

Dr.  Drake  then  confirms,  by  copious  and  judicious  extracts 
from  the  various  parts  of  the  poem,  as  they  offer  themselves 
to  critical  selection,  in  accompanying  "The  Farmer's  Boy" 
through  the  circle  of  his  year,  the  opinion  which  he  has  pro- 
nounced on  the  merits  of  our  English  Georgic. 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

Among  the  distinguished  individuals  who  expressed  the 
gratification  which  the  perusal  of  "  The  Farmer's  Boy"  had 
afforded  them,  one  of  the  earliest  was  His  Royal  Highness 
the  Duke  of  York,  who  made  the  poet  a  liberal  present  in 
testimony  of  his  approbation.  ThelateDuke  of  Grafton  also  had 
him  to  Whittlebury  Forest,  of  which  His  Grace  was  the  ranger; 
settled  upon  him  a  gratuity  of  a  shilling  a  day;  and,  about 
two  years  after  his  first  appearance  as  an  author,  gave  him  the 
appointment  of  Under  Sealer,  in  the  Seal  Office ;  a  situation 
which  his  declining  health  compelled  him  subsequently  to  re- 
linquish :  the  private  allowance,  however,  after  the  death  of 
His  Grace,  was  generously  continued  by  the  present  Duke. 
Local  subscriptions  were  also  entered  into  at  Hadleigh,  and 
elsewhere,  for  the  purpose  of  testifying  the  high  and  general 
esteem  entertained  for  Robert  Bloomfield's  poetical  talents  and 
personal  virtues.  But  his  greatest  emoluments  were  derived 
from  the  sale  of  his  work,  of  which,  in  a  comparatively  short 
space  of  time,  above  forty  thousand  copies  were  disposed  of. 

So  little  did  he  anticipate  the  fame  which  he  thus  acquired, 
that  all  this  good  fortune  appeared  to  him  as  a  dream.  "  I 
had  no  more  idea,"  said  he  to  a  gentleman  with  whom  he  was 
conversing  on  the  subject,  "  that  I  should  be  sent  for  by  the 
Duke  of  Grafton,  and  be  so  kindly  and  generously  treated, 
than  of  the  hour  I  shall  die." 

Mr.  Bloomfield's  finances  having  thus  improved,  he  re- 
moved to  better  lodgings,  and  eventually  took  a  cottage,  near 
the  Shepherd  and  Shepherdess,  in  the  City  Road.  Here  he 
worked  for  some  years  at  his  trade,  and  also  made  admirable 
^Eolian  harps;  of  which  latter  circumstance  many  liberal 
persons  availed  themselves,  by  purchasing  harps  at  large 
prices,  and  thus  delicately  diminishing  the  obligation  which  a 
pecuniary  gift  might  have  been  supposed  to  create. 

In  the  meanwhile,  his  poetical  powers  did  not  remain  un- 
exercised.  Besides  a  number  of  single  pieces  which  he 
contributed  to  various  periodical  publications,  especially  to 
the  "Monthly  Mirror,"  (to  which  work  he  was  much  indebted 
for  its  Warm  and  constant  assertion  of  his  merits,)  he  pro- 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

duced,  in  1802,  a  collection  of  little  poems,  called,  "  Rural 
Tales,  Ballads,  and  Songs."  They  breathe  the  genuine 
spirit  of  poetry,  and  were  received  with  considerable  favour 
by  the  public,  although  not  with  the  eclat  which  attended  his 
first  performance.  The  following  passages  in  the  preface  do 
great  credit  to  the  amiable  and  grateful  feelings  of  the  author. 

"  I  was  not  prepared  for  the  decided,  and  I  may  surely  say 
extraordinary  attention,  which  the  public  has  shewn  towards 
6  The  Farmer's  Boy.'  The  consequence  has  been  such  as  my 
true  friends  will  rejoice  to  hear ;  it  has  produced  me  many 
essential  blessings.  And  I  feel  peculiarly  gratified  in  finding 
that  a  poor  man  in  England  may  assert  the  dignity  of  virtue, 
and  speak  of  the  imperishable  beauties  of  nature,  and  be 
heard ;  and  heard,  perhaps,  with  greater  attention  for  being 
poor. 

"  Whoever  thinks  of  me  or  my  concerns,  must  necessarily 
indulge  the  pleasing  idea  of  gratitude,  and  join  a  thought  of 
my  first  great  friend,  Mr.  Lofft.  And  on  this  head  I  believe 
every  reader  who  has  himself  any  feeling  will  judge  rightly 
of  mine ;  if  otherwise,  I  would  much  rather  he  would  lay 
down  this  volume,  and  grasp  hold  of  such  fleeting  pleasures 
as  the  world's  business  may  afford  him.  I  speak  not  of  that 
gentleman  as  a  public  character,  or  as  a  scholar;  of  the 
former  I  know  but  little,  and  of  the  latter  nothing.  But  I 
know  from  experience,  and  I  glory  in  this  fair  opportunity  of 
saying  it,  that  his  private  life  is  a  lesson  of  morality  ;  his 
manners  gentle,  his  heart  sincere :  and  I  regard  it  as  one  of 
the  most  fortunate  circumstances  of  my  life,  that  my  intro- 
duction to  public  notice  fell  to  so  zealous  and  unwearied  a 
friend." 

Some  of  the  most  ingenious  and  pleasing  productions  in 
this  volume  were  adaptations  of  words  to  several  of  Hook's 
Piano-forte  Lessons.  Above  all,  "The  Hunting  Song"  is  full 
of  genius,  taste,  and  character;  and  so  peculiarly  suited  to  the 
music,  that  it  is  rare  to  find  music  so  well  adapted  to  words 
designed  to  be  set.  It  never  would  occur  to  any  one,  hear- 
ing both  words  and  music  for  the  first  time,  that  the  music 


ROBERT    BLOOMFJELD. 

had  ever  been  without  words ;  or  that  those  were  not  the 
words  to  which  the  music  had  been  composed  ;  or  even  that 
the  author  of  the  words  and  the  composer  of  the  music  were 
not  the  same  person. 

In  1804,  our  author  published  a  poem,  called  "  Good 
Tidings;  or,  News  from  the  Farm,"  to  celebrate  the  then 
newly-introduced  practice  of  vaccination.  Mr.  Capel  Lofft, 
in  a  very  interesting  letter  written  from  Italy  to  an  intimate 
friend  of  his  in  London,  since  the  death  of  Bloomfield, 
strongly  recommends  the  incorporation  of  this  little  poem 
into  "  The  Farmer's  Boy,"  to  the  tone  and  texture  of 
which  it  is  perfectly  analogous.  / 

Two  years  afterwards,  in  1806,  appeared  "  Wild  Flowers; 
or,  Pastoral  and  Local  Poetry."  It  is  dedicated,  in  a  very  af- 
fectionate and  touching  manner,  to  the  son  of  the  poet.  The 
volume  consists  of  interesting  rustic  stories,  in  which  the 
humorous  and  the  pathetic  are  very  successfully  mingled. 
The  preface  contains  a  passage  of  great  gallantry.  After  ob- 
serving that  all  his  pictures  are  from  humble  life,  and  most  of 
his  heroines  servant  maids,  Bloomfield  proceeds  to  say,  — 

"  The  path  I  have  thus  taken,  from  necessity,  as  well  as 
choice,  is  well  understood  and  approved  by  hundreds,  who 
are  capable  of  ranging  in  the  higher  walks  of  literature.  But 
with  due  deference  to  their  superior  claim,  I  confess,  that  no 
recompence  has  been  half  so  grateful,  or  half  so  agreeable  to 
me,  as  female  approbation.  To  be  readily  and  generally  un- 
derstood, to  have  my  simple  tales  almost  instinctively  relished 
by  those  who  have  so  decided  an  influence  over  the  lives, 
hearts,  and  manners  of  us  all,  is  the  utmost  stretch  of  my 
ambition." 

In  the  summer  of  1807,  a  party  of  Bloomfield's  friends  in 
Gloucestershire  proposed  to  themselves  a  short  excursion 
down  the  Wye,  and  through  part  of  South  Wales ;  and  they 
invited  the  poet  to  accompany  them.  This  invitation  he  ac- 
cepted ;  and  having  never  before  seen  a  mountainous  country, 
it  is  not  surprising  "  that,"  to  use  his  own  words,  "  the 
journey  left  such  unconquerable  impressions  on  his  mind,  that 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

embodying  his  thoughts  in  rhyme  became  almost  a  matter  of 
necessity."  The  result  was  a  very  sweet  and  various  descrip- 
tive poem,  called  "  The  Banks  of  Wye ;"  which,  however, 
was  not  published  until  the  year  1811. 

Unfortunately,  Bloomfield's  health  began  now  to  fail  him. 
Never  of  a  robust  habit,  his  constitution  had  received  several  se- 
vere shocks  long  before  he  became  known  to  the  public.  That 
heartless  disease,  the  dropsy,  gained  upon  him.  It  happened, 
also,  in  the  natural  course  of  events,  that  newer  objects  of  at- 
traction began  in  some  measure  to  withdraw  the  public  atten- 
tion from  him  and  his  works  ;  and  that  his  income  was  there- 
by materially  diminished.  Under  all  these  circumstances,  he 
was  induced  to  remove  into  Bedfordshire ;  principally,  how- 
ever, in  the  hope  that  the  country  air  might  be  beneficial  to 
him.  He  chose  his  place  of  abode  at  Shefford,  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  late  Mr.  Whitbread,  who  had  always  treated 
him  with  great  kindness,  at  whose  table  he  was  a  welcome 
guest,  and  whose  death -was  a  severe  affliction  to  him. 

In  his  latter  years,  he  became  unable  to  work ;  and  was 
nearly  blind  from  frequent  and  violent  headaches.  To  his 
bodily  sufferings  were  added  pecuniary  embarrassments.  The 
generosity  of  his  friends  and  of  the  public  was  excited  in  hi 
behalf  some  years  since,  but  not  efficiently;  and, — it  is  most 
painful  to  say,  —  towards  the  close  of  life,  his  distresses  ac- 
cumulated upon  him.  In  1822,  he  published,  "May  Day 
with  the  Muses,"  written,  as  he  pathetically  observes,  "in 
anxiety,  and  a  wretched  state  of  health."  His  last  work  was, 
"  Hazlewood  Hall,'*  a  village  drama,  in  three  acts,  the  pre- 
face to  which  is  dated  so  late  as  April  12.  1823. 

The  question  here  naturally  arises  —  how  was  it  that  a  man 
who,  for  a  time  at  least,  floated  on  the  full  tide  of  worldly 
success,  had  not  sufficient  prudence  to  make  some  provision 
for  his  declining  years  ?  The  fact  is,  that  Robert  Bloom  field 
was  a  most  kind,  generous,  affectionate,  warm-hearted  being ; 
and  that  his  liberality  constantly  drained  his  purse.  He  was 
a  man  who  went  about  in  secret  doing  good ;  he  gave  to  him 
that  asked,  and  from  him  that  would  borrow  he  turned  not 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

away.  Then  his  relations  were  all  in  needy  circumstances. 
To  insure  a  home  to  his  aged  and  revered  mother,  and  her 
husband,  he  bought  the  cottage  which  was  his  birth-place,  re- 
paired it  at  a  great  expence,  and  gave  it  to  the  old  folks  to 
live  in.  His  brothers  were  all  married,  and  had  large  fami- 
lies, which  they  were  ill  able  to  support.  George,  the  eldest, 
a  very  estimable  man,  and  whose  affectionate  treatment  of 
Robert  in  his  boyhood  made  an  indelible  impression  on  the 
mind  of  the  latter,  had  ten  children,  and  experienced  many 
troubles.  Nathaniel  had  twelve  children,  and  was  also  fre- 
quently driven  to  great  straits.  To  both  these  brothers  the 
poet's  hand  was  open  on  every  emergency ;  and  the  pecu- 
niary aid  for  which,  at  various  times,  necessity  compelled  them 
to  call  upon  him,  was  yery  considerable.  He  had  another 
brother,  whose  name  was  Isaac,  a  journeyman  bricklayer,  who 
lived  at  Honington,  and  who  was  seldom  employed,  except 
in  the  summer  months.  Robert  took  Isaac,  his  wife,  and 
family,  to  London,  and  placed  them  in  a  general  shop,  or 
chandler's  shop,  as  it  is  called.  That  not  answering,  he  sent 
them  back  to  Honington,  having  incurred  an  expence  on 
their  account  of  above  a  hundred  pounds ;  and  on  the  death 
of  Isaac,  which  took  place  ten  years  ago,  Robert  assisted 
his  widow,  and  nine  children,  to  the  utmost  of  his  power. 
Added  to  all  this,  he  lost  a  large  sum  of  money,  amounting 
to  some  hundreds  of  pounds,  which  he  had  lent  to  a  relation 
of  his  wife's,  who  engaged  in  a  building  speculation  that  en- 
tirely failed. 

Such  were  a  few  of  the  circumstances,  that  conspired  to 
render  Robert  Bloomfield  a  poor  man.  The  moment,  how- 
ever, was  rapidly  approaching,  when  the  evils  of  penury  were 
to  cease,  and  when  the  consolation  arising  from  the  retro- 
spect of  his  exertions  in  behalf  of  others  was  to  operate  with 
unimpaired  efficacy.  Repeated  accesses  of  his  disorder  left 
him  more  and  more  feeble.  The  last  attack,  his  friends 
were  apprehensive,  if  he  survived  it,  would  reduce  him  to  a 
state  of  mental  aberration  worse  than  death.  Happily  it 
proved  fatal;  and  on  Tuesday,  August  19.  1823,  he  expired, 


ROBERT   BLOOMFIELD. 

at  Shefford,  in  the  ,57th  year  of  his  age.  His  remains  were 
interred  in  a  neighbouring  churchyard ;  a  spot  having  been 
selected  for  the  purpose,  with  reference  to  the  wish  expressed 
in  the  concluding  lines  of  his  charming  little  poem,  called 
"  Love  of  the  Country  :"  — 

"  O  Heaven  !  permit  that  I  may  lie 

Where  o'er  my  corse  green  branches  wave, 
And  those  who  from  life's  tumults  fly, 
With  kindred  feelings  press  my  grave." 

Robert  Bloomfield  left  a  widow  and  four  children ;  three 
grown  up.  The  youngest  is  an  apprentice  in  London.  His 
eldest  daughter,  Hannah,  strongly  resembles  her  father,  in 
countenance,  intellect,  taste,  and  goodness :  she  has  been 
well  educated,  and  was  her  father's  constant  companion  and 
bosom  friend.  For  many  years,  indeed,  since  the  failure  of 
his  sight,  she  was  in  the  habit  of  reading  to  him,  writing  for 
him,  and  assisting  him  on  every  occasion.  We  believe  that  se- 
veral unpublished  manuscripts  of  Mr.  Bloomfield's  exist;  among 
them  one  , —  whether  completed  or  not  we  do  not  know,  — 
the  subject  of  which  appears  eminently  suited  to  his  peculiar 
genius,  called  "  Family  Conversations."  We  trust  Miss 
Bloomfield  may  be  induced  to  revise  and  publish  these ;  and, 
having  witnessed  and  partaken  of  the-principal  vicissitudes  of 
her  parent's  life,  a  history  of  them  from  her  pen,  prefixed  to 
the  work,  would  greatly  enhance  its  interest. 

The  following  beautiful  verses  on  the  death  of  Bloomfield, 
by  Mr.  Bernard  Barton,  are  equally  honourable  to  both 
poets. 

VERSES 

ON  THE  DEATH  OF  BLOOMFIELD,  THE  SUFFOLK  POET, 
BY  BERNARD  BARTON. 

Thou  shouldst  not  to  the  grave  descend, 

Unmourn'd,  unhonour'd,  or  unsung. 
Could  harp  of  mine  record  thy  end, 

For  thee  that  rude  harp  should  be  strung  ; — 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

And  plaintive  sounds  as  ever  rung 
Should  all  its  simple  notes  employ, 

Lamenting  unto  old  and  young, 
The  Bard  who  sang  THE  FARMER'S  Boy. 

Could  Eastern  Anglia  boast  a  lyre 

Like  that  which  gave  thee  modest  fame, 
How  justly  might  its  every  wire 

Thy  minstrel  honours  loud  proclaim  ! 

And  many  a  stream  of  humble  name, 
And  village-green,  and  common  wild, 

Should  witness  tears  that  knew  not  shame, 
By  Nature  won  for  Nature's  child. 

The  merry  HORKEY'S  passing  cup 

Should  pause,  — when  that  sad  note  was  heard; 
The  WIDOW  turn  HER  HOUR-GLASS  up, 

With  tend'rest  feelings  newly  stirr'd  ; 

And  many  a  pity-waken'd  word, 
And  sighs  that  speak  when  language  fails, 

Should  prove  thy  simple  strains  preferr'd 
To  prouder  poets'  lofty  tales. 

Circling  the  OLD  OAK-TABLE  round, 
Whose  moral  worth  thy  measure  owns, 

Heroes  and  heroines  yet  are  found 
Like  ABNER  AND  THE  WIDOW  JONES  : 
There  GILBERT  MELDRUM'S  sterner  tone's 

In  Virtue's  cause  are  bold  and  free  ; 
And  e'en  the  patient  suff 'rer's  moans, 

In  pain,  and  sorrow,  —  plead  for  thee. 

Nor  thus  beneath  the  straw-roof 'd  cot, 

Alone  —  should  thoughts  of  thee  pervade 
Hearts  which  confess  thee  unforgot : 

On  heathy  hill,  in  grassy  glade  ; 

In  many  a  spot  by  thee  array'd 
With  hues  of  thought,  with  fancy's  gleam, 

Thy  memory  lives  !  —  in  EUSTON'S  shade, 
By  BARNHAM  WATER'S  shadeless  stream ! 

And  long  may  guileless  hearts  preserve 
The  memory  of  thy  song,  and  thee  :  — 

While  Nature's  healthful  feelings  nerve 
The  arm  of  labour  toiling  free ; 


128  ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

While  Childhood's  innocence  and  glee 
With  green  Old  Age  enjoyment  share  ;  — 

RICHARDS  and  KATES  shall  tell  of  thee, 
WALTERS  and  JANES  thy  name  declare. 

On  themes  like  these,  if  yet  there  breath'd 
A  Doric  lay  so  sweet  as  thine, 

Might  artless  flowers  of  verse  be  wreath'd 
Around  thy  modest  name  to  twine  :  — 
And  though  nor  lute  nor  lyre  be  mine 

To  bid  thy  minstrel  honours  live, 
The  praise  my  numbers  can  assign 

It  still  is  soothing  thus  to  give. 

There  needs,  in  truth,  no  lofty  lyre 

To  yield  thy  Muse  her  homage  due  ; 
The  praise  her  loveliest  charms  inspire 

Should  be  as  artless,  simple  too. 

Her  eulogist  should  keep  in  view 
Thy  meek  and  unassuming  worth, 

And  inspiration  should  renew 
At  springs  which  gave  thine  own  its  birth. 

Those  springs  may  boast  no  classic  name 
To  win  the  smile  of  letter'd  pride, 

Yet  is  their  noblest  charm  the  same 
As  that  by  CASTALY  supplied  j 
From  AGANIPPE'S  chrystal  tide 

No  brighter,  fairer  waves  can  start, 
Than  Nature's  quiet  teachings  guide 

From  Feeling's  fountain  o'er  the  heart. 

'Tis  to  THE  HEART  Song's  noblest  power  — 
Taste's  purest  precepts  must  refer  ; 

And  Natures  tact,  not  Art's  proud  dower. 
Remains  its  best  interpreter : 
He  who  shall  trust,  without  demur, 

What  his  own  better  feelings  teach, 
Although  unlearn'd,  shall  seldom  err,, 

Bat  to  the  hearts  of  others  reach* 

It  is  not  quaint  and  local  terms 
Besprinkled  o'er  thy  rustic  lay, 

Though  well  such  dialect  confirms 
Its  power  unletter'd  minds  to  sway ; 


ROBERT    r,LOOMFIKLD. 

But  'tis  not  these  that  most  display 
Thy  sweetest  charms,  thy  gentlest  thrall,  — 

Words,  phrases,  fashions,  pass  away, 
But  TRUTH  and  NATURE  live  through  all. 

These,  these  have  given  thy  rustic  lyre 
Its  truest  and  its  tenderest  spell ; 

These  amid  Britain's  tuneful  choir 

Shall  give  thy  honour' d  name  to  dwell : 
And  when  Death's  shadowy  curtain  fell 

Upon  thy  toilsome  earthly  lot, 

With  grateful  joy  thy  heart  might  swell 

To  feel  that  these  reproach'd  thee  not. 

To  feel  that  thou  hadst  not  incurr'd 

The  deep  compunction,  bitter  shame, 
Of  prostituting  gifts  conferr'd 

To  strengthen  Virtue's  hallow'd  claim. 

How  much  more  glorious  is  the  name, 
The  humble  name  which  thou  hast  won, 

Than  —  "  damn'd  with  everlasting  fame," 
To  be  for  fame  itself  undone  J 

Better,  and  nobler,  was  thy  choice 

To  be  the  Bard  of  simple  swains,  — 
In  all  their  pleasures  to  rejoice, 

And  soothe  with  sympathy  their  pains ; 

To  paint  with  feeling  in  thy  strains 
The  themes  their  thoughts  and  tongues  discuss, 

And  be,  though  free  from  classic  chains, 
Our  own  more  chaste  THEOCRITUS. 

For  this  should  SUFFOLK  proudly  own 
Her  grateful,  and  her  lasting  debt ;  — 

How  much  more  proudly  —  had  she  known 
That  pining  care,  and  keen  regret,  — 
Thoughts  which  the  levered  spirits  fret, 

And  slow  disease,  —  'twas  thine  to  bear ;  — 
And,  ere  thy  sun  of  life  was  set, 

Had  won  her  Poet's  grateful  prayer. 


VOL.  VIII, 


130  ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 

'Tis  NOW  TOO  LATE  !  the  scene  is  closed, 
Thy  conflict's  borne,  — thy  trial's  o'er;  — 

And  in  the  peaceful  grave  reposed 

That  frame  which  pain  shall  rack  no  more ; 

Peace  to  the  Bard  whose  artless  store 

Was  spread  for  Nature's  lowliest  child ; 
Whose  song,  well  meet  for  peasant  lore, 

Was  lowly,  simple,  undefiled  ! 

Yet  long  may  guileless  hearts  preserve 

The  memory  of  thy  verse  and  thee  ;  — 
While  nature's  healthful  feelings  nerve 

The  arm  of  labour  toiling  free. 

While  SUFFOLK  PEASANTRY  may  be 
Such  as  thy  sweetest  tales  make  known,  — 

By  cottage-hearth,  by  greenwood  tree, 
Be  BLOOMFIELD  call'd  with  pride  their  own! 


Although  it  is  impossible  that  too  much  praise  can  be 
given  to  Mr.  Capel  Lofft,  for  his  most  zealous  and  disinter- 
ested exertions  in  aiding  the  birth  of  the  first  offspring  of 
Bloomfield's  muse,  yet  as,  notwithstanding  that  gentleman's 
distinct  and  honourable  statement  in  the  preface  to  "  The 
Farmer's  Boy,"  exaggerated  reports  have  gone  forth  re- 
specting the  nature  and  extent  of  his  literary  assistance  on 
that  occasion,  the  following  list  of  verbal  variations,  which  are 
the  only  ones  that  occur  on  a  careful  collation  of  the  first 
edition  of  the  printed  poem  with  the  author's  original  manu- 
cript,  (now  in  the  hands  of  Thomas  Hill,  Esq.,  of  New  Inn,) 
may  serve  to  show  that  the  emendations  made  by  Mr.  Lofft 
were  very  inconsiderable,  though  most  of  them  appear 
highly  judicious,  and  many  of  them  absolutely  necessary.  '  It 
has  already  been  mentioned  that  Mr.  Lofft  corrected  the  de- 
fects in  orthography,  punctuation,  &c.,  which  arose  from  the 
authors  want  of  technical  education. 


ROBERT    ULOOMFIKLD. 


131 


SPRING. 


MS.  Copy 


Printed  Poem. 


Page    Line 
3.        2.  hover 

hover'st. 

7.  lowly  tale 
4.       14-.  those 
7.       65.  summons  —  plough 
66.  blow 

humble  lines, 
these, 
summon  —  ploughs, 
blows. 

8.      93.  traverse  once 

once  transverse. 

98.  pierce 
9.     1  16.  a  centinel 

breaks, 
such  centinels. 

11.     135.  Gave 

Whence. 

144.  bright 
12.     155.  to  clear 
156.  and  give 
161.  a                    ... 

white, 
lighting. 
Giving, 
the. 

163.  Giles 

he. 

13.     179.  Subordination  stage 
by  stage 
14.     189.  and 

Subordinate  they  one  by  one. 
which. 

15.     217.  New  milk  around    - 

Streams  of  new  milk. 

75.     250.  and 

or. 

SUMMER. 

28.       23.  milder 
25.  parches 
29.       34.  Have 

closing, 
pierces. 
Has. 

44.  evince  its 

evinces. 

35.     143.  loins 

form. 

39.     209.  thy  crest  of 
220.  brush  them 

the  crest  wav'd, 
brushes. 

40.     244.  And  use 
45.     318.  the 

Using, 
their. 

4-8.     374.  other  than 

now  but. 

AUTUMN. 

57.       77.  his  —  leisure 

Giles  —  ease  to. 

58.       81.  dust 

bones* 

59.     105.  and  therose  that  blow 

hence  the  tints  that  glow. 

60. 


106.  with  —  glow 
130.  a 


an  —  know, 
her. 


ROBERT    BLOOMFIELD. 


•  MS.  Copy. 

Page  Line 

61.  147.  with 

63.  173.  and 

65.  216.  And  place 

71.  325.  bestrewing  round 

72.  343.  capon 


Printed  Poem. 


77. 


78. 


her. 

next. 

Placing. 

are  strewn  round. 

cockrel. 


WINTER. 


Om 

6. 
17. 
18. 

80.      47. 

83.     103. 

116. 

85.     152. 
92.     264. 

96.  337. 

97.  352. 
99.     390. 


391. 


or  burns  with  thirst 

trust 

dependant — low    - 

grow 

the  world  . 

every 

But 

traverse 

First  at  whose  birth 

Paternal 

Pierce  the  dark  wood 
and  brave  the  sul- 
try plain 

Letfield,  and  dimpled 
brook,  and  flower 
and  tree 


partaking  first, 
thirst. 

the  storm-pinch'd — lows, 
grows, 
for  rest, 
you. 
all  the. 
Their, 
passes. 

At  whose  first  birth. 
Maternal. 

Wander   the    leaf-strewn 
the  frozen  plain. 


wood. 


Let  the  first  flower,  corn-waving 
field,  plain,  tree. 


In  the  second  edition,  two  or  three  further  emendations  were 
made  by  the  poet  himself. 


153 


No.  VI. 

THE  RIGHT  HONOURABLE 
GENERAL  SIR  GEORGE   BECKWITH,  K.C.B. 

THIS  highly  distinguished  Officer  may  be  said  to  have  been 
born  to  that  profession  of  which  he  formed,  even  in  these 
times  of  military  renown,  so  bright  an  ornament.  He  was 
the  second  son  of  the  late  Major-general  John  Beckwith, 
who  commanded  the  20th  regiment  at  the  battle  of  Minden* 
and  the  brigade  of  grenadiers  and  highlanders  in  the  seven 
years1  war;  in  both  which  situations  he  received  repeatedly 
the  public  thanks  of  Prince  Ferdinand  of  Brunswick,  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  allied  army. 

Born  in  the  year  1753,  so  early  as  the  20th  of  July,  1771> 
Sir  George  entered  the  army  as  an  ensign  in  the  37th  foot. 
On  the  7th  of  July,  1 775,  he  was  appointed  lieutenant ;  and, 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1776,  embarked  with  his  regiment  for 
North  America.  On  the  29th  of  January,  he  was  appoint- 
ed adjutant  to  his  regiment,  having  sailed  with  a  number  of 
troops  under  the  command  of  Marquis  Cornwallis;  but 
in  the  March  following,  the  transport  in  which  he  was,  sepa- 
rated from  the  rest,  and  was  driven  into  Plymouth.  Lieutenant 
Beckwith  sailed  again  in  May,  and  joined  the  expedition  off 
Cape  Fear,  in  North  Carolina,  in  June,  when  he  found  him- 
self appointed  adjutant  to  a  battalion  of  grenadiers,  with  which 
he  served  in  the  unsuccessful  operations  against  Charlestown, 
in  that  year. 

In  September,  1776,  the  corps  from  South  Carolina  joined 
General  Sir  William  Howe,  and  the  body  of  the  army,  at 
Staten  Island,  near  New  York.  Lieutenant  Beckwith  served 
with  the  grenadiers  of  the  army  at  the  battle  of  Brooklyii, 

K  3 


I34f  SIR    GEORGE    BECK  WITH. 

upon  Long  Island,  the  27th  of  September,  1776  ;  in  the  ac- 
tion at  the  landing  upon  York  Island ;  at  that  of  the  White 
Plains;  and  at  the  storming  of  the  heights  of  Fort  Knyp- 
hausen; soon  after  which  he  embarked  for  Rhode  Island, 
with  the  corps  detached  there,  which  closed  the  campaign. 

In  February,  1777,  Lieutenant  Beckwith  re-joined  the  body 
of  the  army  in  the  Jerseys,  where  he  remained  until  the  open- 
ing of  the  campaign.  On  the  2d  of  July,  having  purchased 
the  captain-lieutenancy,  he  embarked  with  the  fleet  for  the 
Pensylvanian  campaign.  He  served  at  the  battles  of  Brandy- 
wine  and  Germantown,  remaining  under  canvas  until  January, 
1778,  when  the  army  retired  into  winter  quarters  in  Phila- 
delphia. In  May,  1778,  he  succeeded  to  an  effective  company, 
and  much  about  the  same  time  was  appointed  aid-de-camp  to 
Lieutenant-general  Knyphausen,  who  commanded  the  Hes- 
sian troops;  in  which  capacity  he  served  at  the  battle  of 
Monmouth  in  Jersey,  in  the  course  of  the  march  of  the  army 
to  New  York,  at  the  commencement  of  the  French  war. 

In  December,  1779,  the  late  General  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
proceeded  against  Charlestown,  South  Carolina,  leaving  Gene- 
ral Knyphausen  in  the  command  at  New  York.  During 
that  severe  winter,  all  the  bays,  creeks,  and  rivers  being  frozen, 
the  islands  became  united  with  the  continent,  and  all  the 
British  posts  were  laid  open  to  the  enemy.  General  Wash- 
ington, profiting  from  this  circumstance,  attacked  Staten 
Island  with  about  two  thousand  men;  but  after  remaining 
nearly  one  day  and  a  night  in  a  central  position  with  respect 
to  the  three  British  posts  in  that  island,  he  found  it  necessary 
to  retire.  This  attempt  led  to  several  excursions,  in  all  of 
which  the  enemy  suffered  considerable  loss.  In  September, 
1781,  Captain  Beckwith  was  ordered  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
to  accompany  Brigadier-general  Arnold  to  the  attack  upon 
New  London,  in  which  service  Fort  Griswold,  a  strong  field- 
work,  having  26  pieces  of  heavy  cannon,  was  carried  by  as- 
sault by  the  40th  and  54th  regiments,  with  the  loss  of  ten 
officers,  and  200  men  killed  and  wounded.  On  the  30th  of 


SIR    GEORGE    BECK  WITH.  135 

November,    1781,  Captain  Beckwith   obtained  the  brevet  of 
major. 

General  Knyphausen  having  resigned  the  command  of  the 
Hessian  troops  in  1782,  Major  Beckwith  continued  for  a  few 
weeks  with  his  successor.  General  Losberg,  and  was  appointed, 
in  June,  1782,  aid-de-camp  to  the  late  Lord  Dorchester, 
by  whom  he  was  entrusted  with  the  arrangements  which  took 
place  with  General  Washington,  for  the  withdrawing  of  the 
British  from  that  country  in  the  autumn  of  1783.  He  em- 
barked with  the  rear-guard  of  the  army  upon  the  final  evacu- 
ation of  the  American  States  in  November.  On  various  oc- 
casions, in  the  course  of  the  war,  Major  Beckwith  was  en- 
trusted with  the  command  of  small  detachments,  chiefly  night 
service. 

In  1786,  Major  Beckwith  accompanied  Lord  Dorchester 
to  Canada,  as  aid-de-camp.  His  decision  and  sound  judg- 
ment, combined  with  the  knowledge  of  America  which  he  had 
obtained  during  his  services  in  that  country,  pointed  him  out 
as  qualified  to  be  useful  in  a  twofold  capacity,  diplomatic  and 
military;  and,  from  1787  to  the  end  of  1791,  the  period  of 
the  first  arrival  of  a  British  minister  in  America,  he  was  em- 
ployed by  Lord  Dorchester  in  various  confidential  and  most 
important  missions  in  the  United  States.  On  the  18th  of 
November,  1790,  he  received  the  brevet  of  lieutenant-co- 
lonel; and  in  1793  was  appointed  adjutant-general  to  the 
forces  in  North  America.  On  the  25th  of  August,  1795,  he 
received  the  brevet  of  colonel,  and  in  1796  he  quitted 
America  with  Lord  Dorchester. 

The  difficulties  which  he  had  encountered,  and  surmounted, 
in  the  negotiations  to  which  we  have  alluded,  tended  to  show 
the  talents  he  possessed ;  and  the  British  Government  saw 
the  advantage  which  it  would  derive  from  an  extended  em- 
ployment of  those  talents.  He  was  accordingly  appointed 
colonel  upon  the  staff  in  Bermuda,  and  nominated  governor 
of  that  island,  in  April,  1797.  He  repaired  to  his  duty 
there  in  the  spring  of  1798.  On  the  J8th  of  June,  1798,  he 
received  the  rank  of  major-general,  and  was  placed  as  a  gene- 

K  4- 


136  SIR    GEORGE    BECKWITH. 

ral  officer  upon  the  staff'  in  Bermuda*  where  he  continued 
until  the  peace  of  Amiens,  and  returned  to  England  in  the 
spring  of  18 OS. 

At  the  commencement  of  hostilities  against  France  in  the 
summer  of  1803,  Major-general  Beckwith  was  put  upon  the 
staff  in  the  eastern  district,  under  the  late  Lieutenant-gene- 
ral Sir  James  Craig.  In  the  autumn  of  1804  he  was  removed 
to  the  staff'  in  the  Windward  and  Leeward  Islands,  and  ap- 
pointed governor  of  St.  Vincent's.  He  arrived  at  Barbadoes 
in  March,  1805,  with  the  15th,  90th,  and  96th  regiments. 
On  the  death  of  Sir  William  Myers,  the  commander  of  the 
forces,  in  August,  1805,  the  command  of  the  army  devolved 
Upon  Major-general  Beckwith  ;  who  repaired  immediately  to 
Barbadoes,  where  he  remained  until  the  arrival  of  the  late 
Lieutenant-general  Bowyer,  in  March,  1806,  as  Sir  Wil- 
liam's successor,  with  the  local  rank  of  general.  On  the 
30th  of  October  he  received  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general, 
was  immediately  placed  on  the  staff'  as  second  in  command, 
and  returned  in  April,  1806,  to  his  former  station  at  St. 
Vincent's.  In  November,  1806,  he  was  appointed  colonel  of 
the  6th  garrison  battalion,  having  held  the  rank  of  captain 
in  the  37th  twenty-nine  years.  In  June,  1808,  General 
Bowyer  retired  from  the  command  of  the  army  in  the  West 
Indies,  which  thereby  devolved  upon  Lieutenant-general 
Beckwith  a  second  time;  and  in  October,  1808,  he  was  ap- 
pointed commander  of  the  forces  in  the  Windward  and  Lee- 
ward Caribbee  Islands,  and  in  the  continental  provinces  in 
South  America. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  rapid  strides  Buonaparte  was 
making  to  subjugate  Europe  excited  apprehensions  of  the 
most  serious  kind ;  but  while  victory  followed  victory,  and 
potentate  after  potentate  gave  way  before  him, — in  the  West 
Indies  he  had  to  learn  that  he  was  not  invincible.  Lieu- 
tenant-general Beckwith,  in  whom  unlimited  powers  were 
vested,  proved  that  the  confidence  of  his  monarch  had  not 
been  misplaced. 

Having  completed  his  arrangements,  on  tiie  US.th  of  Janu- 


Silt   GEORGE    BECKWITH.  137 

ary,  1809,  Lieutenant-general  Beckwith  sailed  from  Carlisle 
Bay  for  Martinique,  with  10,000  men.  On  the  30th,  the 
army  landed  in  two  divisions ;  the  one  under  Lieutenant-ge- 
neral Sir  George  Prevost,  the  other  under  Major-general 
Maitland.  Such  was  the  vigour  with  which  the  operations 
were  carried  on,  that  notwithstanding  incessant  rains,  the 
campaign  was  brought  to  a  glorious  conclusion  in  the  short 
space  of  twenty-seven  days  from  the  departure  of  the  troops 
from  Barbadoes;  and  on  the  24th  of  February,  the  whole 
island  of  Martinique,  the  most  valuable  of  the  enemy's  pos- 
sessions in  that  quarter  of  the  globe,  was  surrendered  to  his 
Majesty's  arms.  The  following  is  the  dispatch  in  which 
Lieutenant-general  Beckwith,  who  in  previous  reports  had 
stated  the  progress,  announced  the  happy  conclusion  of  this 
gallant  enterprise  :  — 

"  Head  Quarters,  Martinique,  Feb.  28th,  1809. 
"  MY  LORD, 

"  In  my  letter  of  the  1 5th  instant,  I  had  the  honour  to 
transmit  to  your  Lordship  the  details  of  our  operations  to  the 
llth  preceding.  From  that  period  until  the  19th  we  were 
incessantly  employed  in  the  construction  of  gun  and  mor- 
tar batteries,  and  in  the  landing  cannon,  mortars,  and  how- 
itzers, with  other  ammunition  and  stores ;  in  dragging  them 
to  the  several  points  directed  by  the  engineers ',  and  in  the 
completion  of  the  works,  and  in  mounting  the  ordnance. 
The  exertions  of  Commodore  Cockburn,  and  other  naval  offi- 
cers under  his  orders,  upon  the  right,  and  of  Captains  Bar- 
ton and  Nesham  of  the  navy  upon  the  left,  in  forwarding 
these  services,  were  most  conspicuous.  The  enemy,  during 
the  interval,  fired  upon  our  encampments  with  shot  and  shells, 
but  fortunately  with  little  effect;  and  his  picquets,  when 
pressed,  constantly  fell  back  under  the  protection  of  his 
works.  On  the  19th,  at  half-past  four  in  the  afternoon,  we 
opened  from  six  points  upon  the  enemy's  fortress,  with  14- 
pieces  of  heavy  cannon,  and  28  mortars  and  howitzers;  and  the 
cannonade  and  bombardment  continued,  with  little  remission? 


138  SIR    GEORGE    BECK  WITH, 

until  noon  of  the  23d,  when  the  French  general  sent  a  trum- 
pet with  a  letter  to  our  advanced  posts,  near  the  Bouille  re- 
doubt, in  the  front  of  attack.     In  this  communication,  General. 
Villaret  proposed,  as  the  basis  of  negotiation,  that  the  French 
troops  should  be  sent  to  France  free  from  all  restriction  as  to 
future  service ;  but  this  being  inadmissible,  the  bombardment 
recommenced  at  ten  at  night,  and  continued  without  inter- 
mission until  nine  o'clock  of  the  24th,  when  three  white  flags 
were  discovered  flying  in  the  fortress ;  in  consequence  of  which, 
our  fire  from  the  batteries  immediately  ceased.     It  is  with  the 
most  heartfelt  satisfaction  I  have  now  the  honour  to  report  to 
your  Lordship,  for  his  Majesty's  information,  that,  supported 
by  the  talents  of  the  general  officers,  and  in  particular  of 
Lieutenant-general  Sir  George  Prevost,  and  of  Major-general 
Maitland,  the  experience  and  zeal  of  all  the  other  officers, 
and  valour   and  unremitting  labour  of  this  army,   strength- 
ened by    the    indefatigable  exertions    of    Rear-admiral    Sir 
Alexander  Cochrane  and  the  squadron,  the  campaign,  notwith- 
standing incessant  rains,  has  been  brought  to  a  glorious  con- 
clusion in  the  short  space  of  27  days  from  our  departure  from 
Barbadoes.     The  command  of  such  an  army  will  constitute  the 
pride  of  my  future  life.     To  these  brave  troops,  conducted  by 
generals  of  experience,  and  not  to  me,  their  king  and  country 
owe  the  sovereignty  of  this  important  colony.     And  I  trust, 
by  a  comparison  of  the  force  which  defended  it,  and  the  time 
in  which  it  has  fallen,  the  present  reduction  of  Martinique  will 
not  be  deemed  eclipsed  by  any  former  expedition.     I  have 
the  honour  to  enclose  the  articles  of  capitulation,  as  originally 
produced  by  the  French  commissioners,  in  consequence  of 
General  Villaret's  application  to  me  for  this  purpose,  during 
the  forenoon  of  the  24th,  and  acceded  to  by  Lieutenant-ge- 
neral   Sir   George   Prevost,    Major-general    Maitland,     and 
Commodore  Cockburn,  appointed  by  the  Rear-admiral  and 
myself  to  meet  them.     This  capitulation,  which  was  mutually 
ratified  the  same  night,  will,   I  trust,  be  honoured  with  his 
Majesty's  approbation.     I  enclose  also  a  return  of  the  French 
which,  it  is  supposed,  will  be  in  a  state  to  embail; 


SIR    GEORGE    BECKWITH.  139 

in  the  course  of  a  few  days ;  from  which  it  will  appear  that  I 
did  not  overrate  the  original  numbers  of  the  enemy.  By  the 
next  conveyance,  I  shall  have  the  honour  to  submit  to  your 
Lordship's  consideration  the  various  details  which  are  now 
referred  to  in  general  terms,  and  to  report  the  merits  of  the 
several  corps ;  but  the  science  of  the  officers  of  the  royal  ar- 
tillery has  been  too  conspicuous  not  to  be  particularly  noticed, 
the  interior  of  the  enemy's  fortress  being  torn  to  pieces  by 
shells ;  his  works  have  also  been  much  injured  by  shot  from 
the  gun-batteries,  manned  by  the  seamen  under  the  direction 
Of  Commodore  Cockburn,  and  other  naval  officers.  After  the 
embarkation  of  the  French  troops,  I  shall  have  the  honour  to 
command  the  eagles  taken  from  the  enemy  to  be  laid  at  the 
King's  feet.  Captain  Breedy,  of  the  90th  regiment,  one  of 
my  aides-de-camp,  has  the  honour  to  be  the  bearer  of  this 
dispatch ;  he  is  an  officer  of  service,  and  I  beg  leave  to  re- 
commend him  to  his  Majesty's  favour,  and  to  your  Lordship's 
protection.  I  annex  the  following  returns  :  ordnance,  ammu- 
nition, and  stores,  taken  from  the  enemy ;  provisions  in  the 
fortress,  with  the  daily  issues,  the  King's  hospital,  &c. 

(Signed)  "  GEORGE  BECKWITH, 

"  Commander  of  the  Forces." 

The  Extraordinary  Gazette  which  announced  this  capture 
was  read  with  avidity  by  all  ranks  of  people;  and  the  sight  of 
the  French  eagles,  seen  in  this  country  for  the  first  time  as 
the  trophy  of  success,  gave  an  earnest  of  those  splendid  mili- 
tary achievements  which  terminated  in  the  complete  overthrow 
of  Napoleon's  power. 

On  the  1 4th  of  April,  1809,  the  thanks  of  the  House  of 
Commons,  and  on  the  17tli  those  of  the  House  of  Lords, 
were  voted  to  Lieutenant-general  Beckwith,  "  for  his  able 
and  gallant  conduct  in  effecting  with  such  signal  rapidity  the 
entire  conquest  of  the  important  island  of  Martinique." 

On  the  1st  of  May,  Lieutenant-general  Beckwith  was 
created  a  Knight  of  the  Bath;  and  on  the  31st  of  August  he 
received  the  colonelcy  of  the  2d  West  India  regiment. 


SIR    GEORGE    BECKWITH. 

In  January,  1810,  Sir  George  Beckwith,  determining  to 
follow  up  the  brilliant  success  which  had  attended  him,  at- 
tacked Guadaloupe  with  about  7000  men.  In  eight  days  he 
compelled  the  enemy  to  capitulate.  The  interesting  details 
of  this  splendid  achievement  were  thus  narrated  in  Sir  George 
Beck  with' s  official  dispatch  :  — 

"  Guadaloupe,  Feb.  9,  1810. 
"  MY  LORD, 

"  In  obedience  to  the  King's  command  to  attack  this  island, 
as  pointed  out  in  your  Lordship's  dispatch  of  the  2d  of  No- 
vember last,  I  have  the  honour  to  report,  for  his  Majesty's 
information,  that  having  taken  the  necessary  measures  to 
•collect  such  a  force  as  circumstances  admitted,  and  as  I 
judged  adequate  to  this  important  service,  and  having  made 
every  necessary  arrangement  with  Vice-admiral  Sir  Alexander 
Cochrane,  I  sailed  from  Martinique  on  the  22d  ult.  to  the 
place  of  general  rendezvous,  at  Prince  Rupert's,  Dominica, 
where  we  were  detained  forty-eight  hours,  some  of  the  tran- 
sports having  fallen  to  leeward. 

"  The  army  was  formed  into  five  brigades. 

"  The  first  brigade,  under  the  command  of  Brigadier-ge- 
neral Harcourt,  was  composed  of  five  hundred  light  infantry; 
three  hundred  of  the  15th  foot,  including  their  flank  compa- 
nies; and  four  hundred  battalion-men  of  the  3d  West  India 
regiment. 

"  The  second  brigade,  commanded  by  Brigadier-general 
Barrow,  consisted  of  three  hundred  grenadiers;  six  hundred 
men  of  the  25th  regiment,  including  their  flank  companies ; 
and  three  hundred  and  fifty  men  of  the  6th  West  India  regi- 
ment, including  their  flank  companies. 

"  The  third  brigade,  commanded  by  Brigadier-general 
Maclean,  consisted  of  five  hundred  light  infantry ;  five  hun- 
dred men  of  the  90th  foot,  including  their  flank  companies ; 
and  four  hundred  men  of  the  8th  WTest  India  regiment,  in- 
cluding their  flank  companies. 

"  The  fourth  brigade,  commanded  by   Brigadier^eneral 


SIR   GEORGE    BECKWITH.  141 

Skinner,  was  composed  of  a  battalion  of  six  hundred  men, 
formed  from  the  1 3th  and  63d  regiments ;  a  detachment  of 
two  hundred  men  of  the  York  Light  Infantry  Volunteers ; 
and  the  4th  West  India  regiment 

"The  fifth  brigade,  under  the  command  of  Brigadier- 
general  Wale,  consisted  of  three  hundred  grenadiers,  and 
nine  hundred  men  of  the  Royal  York  Rangers :  to  this  force 
was  added  three  hundred  artillery,  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Burton,  with  a  company  of  military  artificers. 

"  These  brigades  were  formed  into  two  divisions,  and  a 
reserve. 

"  The  first  division,  commanded  by  Major-general  Hislop, 
was  composed  of  the  third  and  fourth  brigades ;  the  second 
division,  under  the  command  of  Brigadier-general  Harcourt, 
consisted  of  the  first  and  second  brigades.  The  fifth  brigade, 
under  the  command  of  Brigadier-general  Wale,  formed  the 
reserve. 

"  The  second  division  sailed  from  Dominica  on  the 
morning  of  the  26th,  and  anchored  at  the  Saintes.  The  first 
division,  with  the  reserve,  sailed  in  the  course  of  the  after- 
noon, and  anchored  on  the  27th  at  Isle  Gosier  Grand  Terre, 
and  early  in  the  morning  of  the  28th  proceeded  across  the 
bay  to  St.  Mary's  in  Capesterre,  in  the  smaller  vessels  of 
war,  other  craft,  and  flat  boats,  where  a  landing  was  effected 
without  opposition  in  the  course  of  the  day;  and  in  the 
afternoon  the  first  division,  under  the  command  of  Major- 
general  Hislop,  moved  forward ;  the  third  brigade  to  Capes- 
terre ;  the  fourth  brigade  to  Grand  Riviere ;  the  reserve 
remained  to  cover  the  landing  of  the  necessary  provisions, 
and  other  objects. 

"  On  the  29th  the  first  divison  marched  to  the  Bannaniers 
river,  where  it  took  post.  The  reserve,  at  the  same  time, 
abandoned  the  landing-place  at  St.  Mary's,  and  reached  the 
Grand  Riviere  that  night,  with  two  days'  provisions  for  the 
corps  acting  to  windward.  On  the  30th,  the  first  division 
advanced  by  the  strong  pass  of  Trou  au  Chien,  which  was 
not  defended ;  and  the  head  of  the  column  reached  Three 


SIR    GEORGE    BECKWITH. 

Rivers  about  eleven  o'clock,  pushing  small  detachments  on  the 
enemy  with  the  light  troops.  The  reserve  marched  early  in 
the  morning  from  its  position,  gaining  Three  Rivers  about 
sunset. 

"  The  enemy  marked  a  disposition  to  defend  the  heights, 
D'Olet,  and  other  places  strengthened  with  field  artillery; 
but  in  the  afternoon  he  abandoned  all  his  posts  with  preci- 
pitation, leaving  his  ordnance  behind. 

"  It  became  necessary  for  the  first  division  and  the  reserve 
to  remain  at  Three  Rivers  until  the  morning  of  the  2d 
instant,  to  land  five  days'  provisions  from  the  fleet ;  which 
(owing  to  the  uncommon  exertions  of  Commodore  Fahie, 
Captains  Dilkes  and  Dowers,  with  other  naval  officers,  whose 
activity  on  this  occasion,  as  well  as  at  the  landing  at  St.  Mary's, 
was  most  conspicuous)  was  promptly  effected. 

"  The  corps  marched  in  two  columns  :  the  reserve,  form- 
ing the  right,  and  advancing  by  the  mountains,  took  pos- 
session of  Palmiste,  at  his  upper  extremity ;  whilst  the  first 
division,  marching  by  D'Olet,  and  the  great  road  to  Basse- 
terre, subdivided  at  the  foot  of  this  height :  the  fourth  bri- 
gade ascending  it  near  the  centre,  the  third  brigade  at  its 
lower  extremity.  The  reserve  found  the  posts  of  Langlais 
abandoned,  and  the  guns  spiked.  The  possession  of  Morne 
Houel  being  of  the  highest  importance,  I  directed  Brigadier- 
general  Wale  to  march  with  the  reserve  at  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  who  occupied  it  without  resistance  about  eight 
at  night ;  the  cannon  being  spiked  and  dismounted,  and  the 
ammunition  in  general  wasted  or  destroyed. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  3d,  the  first  division  marched 
from  Palmiste,  crossing  the  river  Gallion  in  one  column  at  the 
only  practicable  pass ;  the  fourth  brigade  taking  post  in  the 
centre,  about  a  mile  from  the  bridge  of  Noziere,  on  the  river 
Noire ;  and  the  third  brigade  occupied  Mr.  Peltier's  house, 
where  the  enemy  abandoned  a  magazine  of  provisions. 

"  In  the  course  of  the  29th,  the  second  division,  under 
the  command  of  Brigadier-general  Harcourt,  weighed  from 
the  Saintes,  and,  standing  across  towards  Three  Rivers,  gave 


SIR    GEORGE    BECKWITH.  143 

the  enemy  some  jealousy  in  that  quarter,  facilitating  the  ad- 
vance of  the  rest  of  the  army ;  but  in  the  night  bore  up, 
landing  the  next  morning  to  leeward,  near  the  river  Du 
Plessis;  and,  marching  immediately  towards  the  enemy's 
right,  inclining  to  his  rear,  excited  his  attention  to  such  a 
degree,  as  to  induce  him  to  abandon  his  defences  at  Three 
Rivers,  Palmiste,  Morne  Houel,  and  to  retire  beyond  the 
bridge  of  Noziere,  putting  the  river  in  his  front,  and  extend- 
ing his  left  in  such  a  manner  into  the  mountains,  as,  in  his 
opinion,  to  secure  his  position. 

"  The  second  division  was  enabled,  from  the  nature  of  the 
country,  to  land  two  royal  howitzers  and  two  field-pieces,  and 
to  mount  them  in  battery ;  to  which  two  eight-inch  howitzer- 
mortars  were  afterwards  added. 

"  The  enemy  being  now  compressed  within  narrow  limits, 
the  difficulty  (and  that  a  considerable  one)  was  the  passage  of 
the  river  Noire,  to  the  defence  of  which  he  had  paid  the 
utmost  attention.  It  appeared  to  me  to  be  necessary  to  turn 
his  left  by  the  mountains,  notwithstanding  all  the  obstructions 
of  nature  and  of  art  which  opposed  this  decision.  I  there- 
fore gave  the  necessary  orders  to  Brigadier-general  Wale, 
commanding  the  reserve,  to  carry  this  important  service  into 
execution  during  the  night  of  the  3d ;  but,  after  my  separ- 
ating from  the  Brigadier-general,  he  obtained  intelligence 
of  a  nature  so  important  as  not,  in  his  opinion,  to  admit  of 
consulting  me  upon  an  alteration  in  die  plan;  and  he  pro- 
ceeded to  execute  his  orders,  although  by  a  shorter  route 
than  we  possessed  the  knowledge  of  at  the  period  of  my 
quitting  him. 

u  I  entirely  approve  of  the  Brigadier-general's  determin- 
ation, on  the  grounds  on  which  he  decided,*  although  it  created 
a  temporary  embarrassment. 

"  This  important  service  was  greatly  and  successfully 
executed,  as  will  more  fully  appear  by  Brigadier-general  Wale's 
separate  .report ;  and  my  sentiments  of  what  is  due  to  Major 
Henderson,  commanding  the  Royal  York  Rangers,  who  was 
wounded  upon  this  occasion,  and  to  the  officers  and  soldiers 


14*4  SIR    GEORGE    BECKWITH. 

of  this  regiment,  are  fully  expressed  in  my  public  order,  for- 
warded with  this  letter;  which  I  request  your  Lordship  will 
be  pleased  to  lay  before  the  King,  with  my  earnest  hope  that 
his  Majesty  will  promote  Major  Henderson,  whose  merits  are 
beyond  my  praise. 

"  I  lament  on  this  occasion  the  loss  sustained  by  this 
young  corps,  which  has  suffered  considerably,  amounting  to 
no  less  than  four  lieutenants  killed,  one  field-officer  and  four 
captains  wounded,  with  upwards  of  eighty  men  killed  and 
wounded ;  but  the  effort  decided  the  campaign,  the  enemy 
being  so  confounded  on  finding  his  flank  turned,  and  the 
heights  occupied,  that  the  Captain-general  instantly  hoisted 
white  flags  at  his  own  quarters  and  other  places,  whilst  the 
troops  were  advancing :  and,  indeed,  this  officer's  person  was 
greatly  exposed  in  his  position. 

"  I  am  concerned  to  add,  that  Brigadier-general  Wale, 
commanding  the  reserve,  and  Captain  Grey,  an  assistant  in 
the  Quarter-master-genel-al's  department,  were  wounded  on 
this  service. 

"  Commissioners  appointed  on  both  sides  having  met  the 
next  morning  (the  5th),  a  capitulation  was  agreed  upon, 
which  was  ratified  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  and  which  I 
trust  will  be  honoured  with  his  Majesty's  approbation. 

66  When  the  uncommon  strength  of  this  country,  generally, 
is  considered,  and  the  nature  of  the  enemy's  position,  which 
had  been  selected  with  great  attention,  covered  with  redoubts, 
and  furnished  with  artillery,  I  trust  the  advance  of  one 
column  of  the  army  without  a  single  field-piece,  and  of  the 
other  equally  unprovided,  until  within  range  of  the  enemy's 
principal  works,  will  be  held  by  military  men  a  bold  and 
arduous  enterprize,  where  .the  defence  possessed  a  force  in  the 
first  instance  of  3500  men :  notwithstanding  which  the  cam- 
paign terminated  in  eight  days.  This  force  underwent  a 
gradual  diminution,  and  latterly  a  very  extensive  one,  by 
the  falling  off  of  the  colonial  troops,  and  by  the  increase  of 
the  sick  and  wounded ;  whose  numbers  (independent  of  the 


SIR  GEORGE    BECKWITH.  145 

killed  and  missing,  which  are  considerable)   are  stated  to  me 
to  exceed  six  hundred  men. 

"  I  hope  the  services  of  this  army  will  be  honoured 
with  his  Majesty's  approbation,  and  the  confidence  of  their 
country. 

•"  Captain  Wilby,  one  of  my  aides-de-camp,  who  was 
entrusted  with  the  eagles  taken  from  the  enemy  at  Marti- 
nique last  campaign,  has  the  honour  to  be  the  bearer  of  this 
dispatch,  and  of  the  eagle  of  the  sixty-sixth  regiment,  which 
has  fallen  into  our  possession  on  the  present  occasion,  to  be 
laid  at  the  King's  feet.  I  beg  leave  to  recommend  this 
officer  to  His  Majesty's  favour,  and  your  Lordship's  protec- 
tion, for  the  rank  of  major  in  the  army. 

"  The  co-operation  o£  Vice-admiral  Sir  Alexander  Coch- 
rane,  of  Commodores  Ballard  and  Fahie,  the  captains  and 
other  officers  of  the  navy,  which  are  expressed  in  detail  in  my 
inclosures,  has  been  incessant  and  effectual ;  and  without 
such  exertions,  a  service  of  the  present  description,  if  at  all 
practicable,  must  have  been  drawn  into  length.  The  services 
of  Captain  Kempt,  principal  agent  for  transports,  labouring 
under  ill  health,  of  Captain  Parry,  and  of  other  officers 
of  the  same  department,  have  been  highly  laudable ;  and  the 
exertions  of  Mr.  Matthew  King,  a  merchant  of  consideration, 
but  bred  a  seaman,  who,  without  remuneration,  has  superin- 
tended the  disposition  of  upwards  of  fifty  vessels  hired  in  the 
West  Indies,  for  the  transport  of  troops  and  stores,  have 
been  extremely  important,  and  are  now  continued,  much  to 
the  benefit  of  His  Majesty's  service. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c. 
(Signed)  "  GEORGE  BECKWITH, 

"  Commander  of  the  Forces." 

A  small  corps  was  immediately  detached  to  St.  Martin's, 
and  St.  Eustatius,  which  fell  with  little  opposition ;  and  by 
these  events  the  enemy  was  deprived  of  all  his  West  India 
possessions  in  twenty-one  days  from  the  British  taking 
the  field. 

vot.  viii.  L 


\ 

SIR    GEORGE    BECKWITH. 

The  high  estimation  in  which  these  eminent  services  were 
held  in  England,  cannot  be  more  strongly  characterized  than 
in  the  leading  paragraph  of  the  Lords  Commissioners'  speech 
to  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  on  the  21st  June,  1810  :  — 

"  We  are  commanded  by  His  Majesty  to  express  the  satis- 
faction he  derived  from  the  reduction  of  the  island  of  Guada- 
loupe  by  His  Majesty's  arms ;  an  event  which,  for  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  the  wars  of  Great  Britain,  has  wrested 
from  France  all  her  possessions  in  that  quarter  of  the  world,  — 
and  which,  together  with  the  subsequent  capture  of  the  only 
colonies  in  the  West  Indies  which  remained  in  the  possession 
of  the  Dutch,  has  deprived  His  Majesty's  enemies  of  every 
port  in  these  seas  from  which  the  interests  of  His  Majesty, 
or  the  commerce  of  his  subjects,  can  be  molested." 

These  victories  having  left  the  subject  of  our  memoir 
"  without  more  worlds  to  conquer,"  and  the  inhabitants  of 
those  islands  beginning  to  feel  and  to  acknowledge  the  bene- 
fits of  living  under  the*  sway  of  the  British  empire,  he  re- 
turned to  Barbadoes.  Amidst  his  military  avocations  as 
commander-in-chief,  he  had  never  forgotten  that  his  duties 
as  governor  imposed  upon  him  the  adoption  of  such  measures 
as,  could  best  ensure  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  those  en- 
trusted to  his  charge ;  and  the  merchants  of  the  West  India 
islands  will  long  consider  his  administration  of  their  laws  as 
the  brightest  times  of  their  history.  But  it  is  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  such  combined  and  arduous  duties  could  be 
accomplished  without  a  sacrifice  of  health  :  Sir  George 
Beckwith  unfortunately  experienced  this  ;  and  in  June,  1814, 
determined  on  seeking  a  restoration  of  that  blessing  in  his 
native  country.  The  last  bill  presented  for  his  sanction  by 
the  legislature  of  the  island  of  Barbadoes,  was  a  vote  of  a 
service  of  plate  to  himself;  and  deeply  as  he  must  have  felt 
so  strong  a  mark  of  their  approbation  of  his  government, 
"  this  bill,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  is  the  only  one  from  which 
I  must  withhold  my  assent."  At  a  public  dinner  given  him 
before  his  embarkation,  the  chairman,  in  proposing  his  health, 
passed  the  most  gratifying  eulogy  on  his  conduct  that  Ian- 


SIR    GEORGE    BECKW1TH.  147 

guage  could  convey,  when  he  said,  CJ  The  occasion  of  this 
day's  meeting  is  the  only  cause  of  regret  that  has  ever  been 
felt  by  the  inhabitants  during  the  most  unsullied  administra- 
tion which  our  annals  can  boast." 

Thus,  followed  by  the  blessings  of  those  over  whom  he  had 
ruled,  he  sought  his  native  shores ;  and  flattered  indeed  must 
he  have  been,  to  find  that  that  mark  of  estimation  for  him  as 
a  man,  and  gratitude  towards  him  as  a  governor,  which  his 
innate  sense  of  delicacy  taught  him  to  decline  whilst  in  Bar- 
badoes,  had  been  voted  to  him  after  his  departure.  It  bears 
this  inscription :  — 

"  This  service  of  plate  was  presented  to  General  Sir  George 
Beckwith,  K.  B.,  late  Governor  of  Barbadoes,  by  the  legis- 
lature of  that  island,  as  a  sincere  mark  of  the  high  regard  and 
esteem  in  which  he  has  been  and  will  always  continue  to  be 
held  by  every  inhabitant  of  Barbadoes.  A.  D.  1814." 

The  cost  of  this  honourable  present  was  2500/. 

Whilst  his  civil  services  were  thus  rewarded  by  those  who 
could  best  appreciate  them,  his  king  still  further  proved  the 
high  sense  he  entertained  of  his  military  ones,  by  conferring 
on  him  an  armorial  distinction,  such  as  the  illustrious  Wel- 
lington himself  alone  can  boast :  —  "  Issuant  from  a  mural 
crown,  a  dexter  arm  embowed,  encircled  with  a  wreath  of 
laurel ;  the  hand  grasping  an  eagle,  or  French  standard  ;  the 
staff  broken." 

On  the  4th  of  June,  1814,  Sir  George  Beckwith  received 
the  rank  of  general. 

Talents  great  as  Sir  George  Beckwith's  were  too  rare  to 
be  allowed  to  lie  long  unemployed.  In  October,  1816,  he 
was  summoned  from  the  circle  of  private  life  to  take  the  com- 
mand of  the  troops  in  Ireland ;  his  health  had  become  in  some 
degree  re-established,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  in 
obeying  the  call.  During  the  four  years  in  which  Sir  George 
Beckwith  directed  the  military  strength,  and  watched  over  the 
internal  quiet  of  Ireland,  not  one  instance  of  outrage  can  be 
pointed  out ;  and  the  splendid  style  in  which  he  supported 
his  rank  in  Dublin  as  commander  of  the  forces,  is  acknow- 

L  2 


148  SIR   GEORGE    BECKWITH. 

ledged  by  every  one  who  partook  of  his  liberal  and  extended 
hospitality. 

On  the  21st  of  September,  1818,  in  consequence  of  the 
death  of  the  Earl  of  Lindsey,  he  was  removed  from  the 
colonelcy  of  the  2d  West  India  regiment  to  that  of  the  89th. 

Sir  George  Beckwith  returned  to  England  at  the  end  of 
March,  1820 ;  and  the  state  of  his  health  now  began  to  show 
that  the  incessant  and  trying  services  in  which  he  had  been 
engaged,  combined  with  the  baneful  effects  of  a  long  residence  in 
a  West  Indian  climate,  had  made  slow  but  too  certain  ravages 
in  his  constitution.  He  struggled  for  many  months  against 
increasing  malady,  but  at  length  expired,  at  his  house  in 
Half-moon  Street,  on  the  20th  of  March,  1823,  in  the  70th 
year  of  his  age. 

He  reposes  beside  individuals  of  his  family,  by  his  own 
desire,  in  the  vaults  of  Mary-le-bone  burying-ground ;  though 
few  are  the  tablets  in  Westminster  Abbey,  or  St.  Paul's, 
which  commemorate  the  services  of  those  who  have  deserved 
better  of  their  country  than  Sir  George  Beckwith* 


149 


No.  VII. 

THE  RIGHT  REVEREND 
THOMAS  FANSHAWE  MIDDLETON,  D.D.  F.R.S. 

LORD    BISHOP   OF    CALCUTTA. 

1  HE  impression  made  upon  every  pious  and  thinking  mind 
in  the  country,  by  the  melancholy  tidings  of  the  death  of  this 
apostolic  prelate,  was  such  as  can  never  be  effaced.  la 
Bishop  Middleton  the  church  of  England  has  lost  one  of  its 
most  able,  zealous,  and  affectionate  supporters,  and  the 
church  of  India  a  founder  and  a  father. 

Dr.  Middleton  was  born  in  Jan.  1769,  at  Kedleston  in 
Derbyshire,  and  was  the  only  child  of  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Middleton  of  that  place.  From  his  father  he  imbibed  those 
principles  of  piety,  which  were  afterwards  so  singularly  con- 
spicuous in  his  whole  character  and  conduct.  He  was  educa- 
ted at  Christ's  Hospital,  under  the  rigid  discipline  of  the  Rev. 
James  Bowyer,  who  has  been  not  inaptly  termed  the  Busby 
of  that  establishment.  Here  he  was  contemporary  with  Sir 
Edward  Thornton,  our  present  ambassador  to  the  court  of 
Sweden;  the  Rev.  George  Richards,  D.D.  F.R.S.,  author  of 
the  Aboriginal  Britons,  and  Bampton  Lectures;  and  Mr. 
Coleridge  the  Poet,  from  whose  fertile  and  powerful  pen  has 
issued  a  just  tribute  of  gratitude  to  the  zeal  and  ability  of  his 
tutor. 

From  Christ's  Hospital  he  proceeded,  upon  one  of  the 
school  exhibitions,  to  Pembroke  Hall,  Cambridge,  where  he 
took  the  degrees  of  B.A.  in  1792;  M.A.  in  1795;  and  B. 
and  D.T).  in  1808. 

In  March,  1792,  after  taking  the  degree  of  B.A.,  and  being 
ordained  deacon  by  the  then  Bishop  of  Lincoln  (Dr.  Prety- 
man),  he  entered  upon  his  clerical  duties  at  Gainsborough. 

L  3 


150  BISHOP    MIDDLETON. 

In  1794?  he  was  selected  by  Dr.  John  Pretyman,  archdeacon 
of  Lincoln,  and  brother  of  the  bishop,  to  be  tutor  to  his  two 
sons ;  and  it  was  probably  to  this  circumstance  that  he  was 
indebted  for  the  future  patronage  of  the  bishop,  who  pre- 
sented him,  in  1795,  to  the  rectory  of  Tansor,  in  North- 
amptonshire, vacant  by  the  promotion  of  Dr.  John  Potter  to 
the  see  of  Killala  in  Ireland.  About  this  time  he  published 
a  periodical  essay  without  his  name,  entitled,  "  The  Country 
Spectator." 

In  1797  Dr.  Middleton  married  Elizabeth,  eldest  daughter 
of  John  Maddison,  Esq.,  of  Gainsborough,  and  of  Alvingham, 
co.  Lincoln ;  an  event  which  he  repeatedly  declared  was  the 
most  happy  of  his  life. 

In  1798  he  published  "  The  Blessing  and  the  Curse;  a 
Thansksgiving  on  occasion  of  Lord  Nelson's  and  other  Victo- 
ries;" and  in  1802  obtained  from  his  former  patron  the 
consolidated  rectory  of  Little  Bytham,  with  Castle  Bytham 
annexed,  which  he  held,  with  Tansor,  by  dispensation. 

In  1808  Dr.  Middleton  established  his  reputation  as  a 
scholar  by  the  publication  of  his  celebrated  "  Treatise  on  the 
Doctrine  of  the  Greek  Article,  applied  to  the  Criticism  and 
the  Illustration  of  the  New  Testament;"  a  work  which  will 
ever  be  considered  as  a  text-book  in  that  department  of 
Greek  literature.  The  following  year  appeared  "  Christ 
Divided ;  a  Sermon  preached  at  the  Visitation  of  the  Lord 
Bishop  of  Lincoln."  During  his  residence  at  Tansor,  Dr. 
Middleton  was  in  a  state  of  comparative  seclusion ;  but  his 
mind  was  not  inactive,  though  he  often  panted  for  a  wider 
field  of  Christian  exertion.  Little  did  he  then  think  that  he 
would  hereafter  exchange  the  dull  river  which  crept  before 
his  door  for  the  mighty  Ganges,  and  that  in  this  little  village 
he  was  laying  in  those  stores  of  theological  learning  and  ex- 
perience, which  were  afterwards  to  be  displayed  with  so  much 
lustre  in  the  kingdoms  of  the  East. 

In  1810  he  began  to  act  as  a  magistrate  for  the  county  of 
Northampton;  but  in  1811  resigned  his  livings  in  that 
county,  upon  being  presented  by  the  same  generous  patron 


BISHOP    MIDDLETON.  151 

to  the  vicarage  of  St.  Pancras,  Middlesex,  and  Puttenham, 
Herts;  and  shortly  after  took  up  his  residence  at  the  vicar- 
age-house, Kentish  Town. 

In  April,  1812,  he  was  collated  by  the  Bishop  of  Lincoln 
to  the  archdeaconry  of  Huntingdon ;  and  in  the  autumn  of 
the  same  year  he  directed  his  attention  to  the  deplorable 
condition  of  the  parish  of  St.  Pancras,  in  which  he  found  a 
population  of  upwards  of  50,000  persons,  with  only  the 
ancient  very  small  village  church,  which  could  not  accom- 
modate a  congregation  of  more  than  300.  On  this  occasion 
he  published  "  An  Address  to  the  Parishioners  of  St.  Pan- 
cras, Middlesex,  on  the  intended  Application  to  Parliament 
for  a  New  Church,"  8vo.  Dr.  Middleton  caused  a  bill  to  be 
brought  into  Parliament,  for  powers  to  erect  a  new  church  ; 
and  by  this  measure  rendered  himself  an  object  of  much  hos- 
tility, especially  to  the  Dissenters,  by  whose  zealous  perseve- 
rance the  bill  was  lost  in  the  debate  upon  the  second  reading. 
But,  though  disappointed  in  his  immediate  object,  he  was  yet 
enabled  so  to  prepare  and  digest  the  plan,  as  to  leave  it  an 
easy  task  for  his  excellent  successor  to  accomplish. 

During  his  residence  in  London,  he  connected  himself 
closely  with  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge ; 
he  entered  warmly  into  all  their  designs,  and  gave  much  of 
his  valuable  time  and  attention  to  their  objects. 

In  1813,  the  Rev.  C.  A.  Jacobi,  a  German  divine,  having 
been  appointed  one  of  the  missionaries  to  India,  Dr.  Middle- 
ton  was  requested  to  deliver,  before  a  special  meeting  of 
the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  a  charge  to 
the  new  missionary  previous  to  his  departure.  The  impres- 
sive manner  in  which  he  performed  this  duty  will  never 
be  forgotten  by  those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  be  pre- 
sent;  the  charge  was  afterwards  printed,  and  much  admired, 
as  the  first  fruits  of  those  thoughts  and  powers  which  had 
already  been  directed  to  the  great  theatre  of  action  upon 
which  he  was  so  soon  destined  himself  to  appear.  What  im- 
parts an  additional  interest  to  the  memory  of  this  tranaction 
is,  that  both  he  who  gave,  and  he  \\\\o  received  the  exhort- 

L   i< 


BISHOP    MIDDLETOtf. 

ation,  are  now  gone  to  their  reward.  The  young  and  amiable 
Jacob!  soon  fell  a  victim  to  the  climate,  and  too  soon  has  he 
been  followed  by  his  venerable  pastor. 

Nor  did  Dr.  Middleton  neglect  the  duties  of  his  arch- 
deaconry ;  his  Charge  to  the  Clergy  under  his  jurisdiction 
will  long  be  admired  for  the  just  and  able  views  which  it 
presents  of  subjects  the  most  important  to  his  clerical  bre- 
thren. 

About  this  time  the  friends  of  the  establishment  of  Chris- 
tianity in  our  Eastern  dominions  were  very  active  in  prevail- 
ing upon  Government  to  establish  an  episcopacy  in  those  vast 
regions ;  and  Lord  Castlereagh,  in  a  debate  on  the  renewal 
of  the  East  India  Company's  charter,  adverted  to  the  expe- 
diency of  such  an  establishment.  It  was  subsequently  en- 
acted, that  the  Company  should  be  chargeable  with  certain 
salaries,  to  be  paid  to  a  bishop,  and  three  archdeacons,  if 
it  should  please  his  Majesty,  by  his  letters  patent,  to  consti- 
tute and  appoint  the  same. 

In  the  autumn  of  1813,  Dr.  Middleton  received  an  invi- 
tation to  wait  upon  the  Earl  of  Buckinghamshire,  President 
of  the  Board  of  Controul,  who  offered  to  recommend  him  to 
His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  Regent,  as  the  new  Bishop  of 
Calcutta.  Earnestly  dissuaded,  as  he  was,  from  accepting  this 
high  but  perilous  dignity,  he  paused,  and  after  some  consider- 
ation sent  in  a  decided  refusal.  Upon  a  repetition  of  the  offer, 
however,  his  mind  became  much  agitated  ;  it  appeared  to  him 
that  Providence  had  called  him  to  the  arduous  station  :  he 
dreaded  the  responsibility  which  would  attend  its  rejection ; 
and  under  these  impressions,  he  was  content  to  sacrifice  his 
comforts,  his  connections,  and  his  country.  He  went  out, 
not  knowing  whither  he  went  —  not  knowing,  whether  from 
the  regions  to  which  he  was  hastening  he  should  ever  be  per- 
mitted to  return .  Often  did  the  friends,  whom  he  best  loved, 
urge  him  to  consider  the  dangers  which  awaited  him,  and  to 
relinquish  so  harzardous  a  post ;  but  he  resisted  all  their  so- 
licitations, and  resolutely  closed  his  eyes  upon  every  prospect, 
but  that  which  his  duty  appeared  to  prescribe, 


BISHOP    MI  DDL  ETON;  1,55 

He  was  consecrated  on  the  8th  of  May,  1814,  at  Lambeth 
Palace,  the  Archdeacon  of  Winchester  having  preached  the 
consecration  sermon.  On  the  17th  of  the  same  month  he 
attended  a  special  meeting  of  the  Society  for  Promoting 
Christian  Knowledge,  to  receive  their  valedictory  address, 
delivered  by  the  Bishop  of  Chester;  on  the  19th  he  was 
elected  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society ;  on  the  8th  of  June 
he  embarked  at  Portsmouth,  on  board  the  Warren  Hastings, 
and  in  November  he  reached  Bengal. 

In  this  outline  of  Dr.  Middleton's  life  and  character,  it 
would  be  impossible  to  enter  into  any  detailed  account  of  the 
active  and  unwearied  course  which  he  pursued  after  his  ar- 
rival in  India.  It  will  be  sufficient  at  present  to  say,  that  of 
his  exertions  in  the  sacred  cause,  the  British  public  can  form 
no  adequate  notion.  The  fatigue  both  of  body  and  of  mind 
which  he  underwent,  and  the  difficulties  by  which  he  was 
harassed,  are  more  than  imagination  can  readily  conceive. 
The  time  will  shortly  come,  as  we  have  reason  to  hope,  when 
the  public  will  be  put  in  possession  of  a  full  and  accurate  ac- 
count both  of  his  labours  and  of  his  designs.  It  is  an  account 
to  the  appearance  of  which  the  country  will  look  with  great 
anxiety  and  interest.  The  history  of  his  episcopal  acts  and 
ministry,  the  journal  of  his  long  and  laborious  visitations,  the 
researches  which  he  made  into  the  history  of  the  ancient 
churches  in  the  East,  the  developement  of  his  comprehensive 
views  in  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel,  will,  together,  form 
a  volume,  the  publication  of  which  will  constitute  an  era  in 
ecclesiastical  literature.  We  are  happy  to  hear  that  he  has 
left  behind  him  such  numerous  papers,  and  such  ample  docu- 
ments, that  nothing  will  be  wanting  to  effect  this  important 
purpose. 

Among  the  objects  to  which  Dr.  Middleton's  attention  was 
particularly  directed,  we  must  notice  his  desire  to  increase 
the  number  and  efficiency  of  the  chaplains  in  India,  and  to 
provide  churches  for  the  accommodation  of  the  European  resi- 
dents. He  recurred  to  each  of  these  points  in  his  several 
charges;  arid  but  a  short  time  before  his  death,  be •  congralu- 


154<  BISHOP    M1DDLETONY. 

lated  his  brethren  upon  the  partial  success  which  had  attend- 
ed his  efforts  and  representations.  It  was  his  wish,  however, 
that  more  should  be  accomplished  ;  and  he  considered  the 
spiritual  interests  of  the  British  population  as  standing  in 
want  of  still  further  attention  and  support. 

Dr.  Middleton  was  mainly  instrumental  in  founding  the 
Mission  College  at  Calcutta,  for  the  following  purposes : 

1.  For  instructing  native  and  other  Christian  youth  in  the 
doctrine  and  discipline  of  the  Church  of  England,  in  order 
to  their  becoming  preachers,   catechists,   or  school -masters ; 

2.  For  teaching  the   elements  of  useful  knowledge,  and  the 
English  language,  to  Mussulmen  and  Hindoos,  having  no  ob- 
ject in  such  attainments  beyond  secular  advantage ;  3.  For 
translating  the  Scriptures,   the  Liturgy,  and  moral  and  reli- 
gious tracts  ;  4.  For  the  reception  of  English  missionaries  on 
their  first  arrival  in  India,  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  the  lan- 
guages. —  Towards  the  erection  and  endowment  of  this  col- 
lege,  the   Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  the 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts, 
and  the  Society  for  Missions  to  Africa  and  the  East,  have 
each  contributed  5000/. 

Of  Dr.  Middleton's  generous  enthusiasm,  indefatigable  ex- 
ertions, and  complete  self-devotion,  the  following  interesting 
letter  to  the  Bishop  of  St.  David's,  which  his  Lordship  has 
obligingly  communicated  to  us,  will  afford  some  faint  no- 
tion :  — 

"  At  sea,  in  the  Bay  of  Bengal, 

21st  Dec.  1815. 
"  MY  DEAR  LORD, 

"  From  the  interest  which  your  Lordship  takes  in  whatever 
relates  to  Christianity,  I  cannot  deny  myself  the  pleasure  of 
writing  to  your  Lordship,  from  this  remote  scene  of  Christian 
exertion ;  more  especially  as  I  am  desirous  to  introduce  to 
your  knowledge,  a  gentleman,  who  is  well  acquainted  with  every 
thing  which  is  going  on  in  these  parts,  and  is  very  solicitous 
in  the  cause  of  truth.  Sir  *****  ******  Bart  jlag 
long  been  one  of  our  puisne  judges,  and  is  now  -reluming  to 


fclSHOP    M1DDLETON.  155 

England,  with  an  ample  fortune,  and  will  probably  be  in  Par- 
liament. He  is  a  man  of  sense,  and  very  much  a  gentleman  ; 
and  what  is  of  still  greater  importance,  he  wishes  to  see  the 
religion  of  Christians  the  religion  of  the  world, 

"  If  your  Lordship  should  be  in  town,  and  Sir****  ***** 
should  have  an  opportunity  of  delivering  this  letter,  he  will  tell 
your  Lordship  of  a  Brahmin,whom  he  introduced  to  the  bishop; 
and  on  this  subject  you  will  find  him  very  sanguine  as  to  the 
conversion  of  the  Hindoos.  The  Brahmin  is  a  man  of  great 
learning,  for  an  Asiatic,  of  great  acuteness,  and  an  anxious 
inquirer  after  the  true  faith.  He  has  renounced  idolatry,  to- 
gether with  some  hundreds  of  his  dependents ;  and  I  am  not 
without  hope,  that  I  may  be  destined  by  a  gracious  Provi- 
dence, to  baptize  them,  all  into  Christ's  religion.  What  a 
day  would  that  be  for  the  Christian  world  !  —  But  there  is  yet 
much  to  be  done :  and,  unfortunately,  I  have  been  obliged  to 
leave  him  for  six  months,  to  go  on  my  visitation :  with  which 
object  I  am  now  at  sea,  on  my  way  to  Madras,  whence  I  shall 
proceed,  on  land,  to  the  Malabar  coast,  and  thence  to  Bom- 
bay, a  journey,  in  the  whole,  of  about  5000  miles  !  Such  a 
visitation,  perhaps,  has  never  yet  been  made  by  a  Christian 
bishop :  I  pray  that  God  may  bless  it  to  the  ends  for  which  it 
is  undertaken.  But  to  return  to  my  Brahmin.  He  called 
upon  me  the  other  day,  to  request  that  I  would  print  my  ad- 
vent sermon,  preached  the  day  before ;  and  on  my  declining 
it,  he  prevailed  upon  me  to  read  it  to  him,  and  to  expound 
it,  which  I  did  for  two  hours  together  on  the  text,  "  Thy 
kingdom  come."  But  besides  verbal  instruction,  I  assist 
him  with  useful  treatises  on  the  elements  of  Christian  know- 
ledge ;  and  the  following  I  copy  from  a  letter,  which  he  sent 
me  about  ten  days  since  :  c  Rammohun  Roy  presents  his  most 
respectful  compliments  to  the  Lord  Bishop,  and  begs  leave 
to  return  his  Lordship  his  sincere  thanks  for  the  book  his 
Lordship  has  most  kindly  sent  him.  From  what  he  has 
hitherto  perused,  he  finds  it  most  useful,  and  a  perfect  guide : 
it  is  a  collection  of  those  authorities  which  he  has  been  seek- 
ing for,'  &c.  &c. 


156  BISHOP    MIDDLETON. 

"  Your  Lordship  may  not  recollect  having  made  me  a  pre- 
sent of  your  admirable  Easter  Catechisms  ;  but  certainly  you 
could  not  conjecture  to  what  purpose  it  was  destined  to  be 
subservient :  the  identical  copy  is  the  very  book,  of  which 
Rammohun  thus  expresses  himself,  and  of  which  he  has  since 
expressed  himself  more  strongly  in  conversation.  I  have  pe- 
culiar pleasure  in  mentioning  this  circumstance,  because  it 
must  be  highly  gratifying  to  your  Lordship  to  know,  that  at 
least  in  one  single,  but  memorable  instance,  your  labours 
have  been  thus  useful.  Indeed,  I  do  not  know  of  any  ele- 
mentary book  so  well  suited  to  those  who  are  dissatisfied 
with  idolatry,  of  which  we  have  here  many  thousands,  and 
who  are  almost  persuaded  to  become  Christians.  Rammohun 
Roy  professes  his  intention  to  visit  England  about  a  year 
hence  :  if  he  will  in  the  meantime  consent  to  be  baptized,  he 
•will  be  the  most  interesting  stranger,  not  excepting  even  the 
crowned  heads,  who  has  visited  England  for  many  years.  In 
that  event,  I  shall  of  course  take  the  liberty  of  giving  him  ac- 
cess to  your  Lordship,  and  a  few  others  of  those  who  are 
likely  to  confirm  him  in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity. 

"  I  find  here  abundance  of  difficulties  in  almost  every  thing 
which  I  undertake  or  meditate :  but  I  go  on  'XTTO^OUJW-SVOJ,  oux 
e£a7ro£ouju,evof :  and  if  it  please  God  to  give  me  health,  I  do  not 
despair  of  reaping  some  reward  for  the  sacrifices  which  I 
made  in  quitting  England.  I  have  now  resided  in  India  rather 
more  than  twelve  months,  during  eight  of  which  I  have  been 
incessantly  tormented  with  cutaneous  complaints ;  but  I  am 
assured  that  in  future  I  shall  feel  them  less  sensibly.  The 
climate  is  certainly  most  oppressive.  —  In  short,  without  great 
objects  in  view,  my  existence  would  be  very  comfortless ;  but 
with  them  I  find  little  cause  to  complain. 
"  1  am,  my  dear  Lord, 

"  With  sincere  regard, 

"  Your  Lordship's  most  faithful  and  affectionate  Brother, 

"  J,  F.  CALCUTI/" 


BISHOP    MJDDLETON.  157 

The  illness  which  led  to  Dr.  Middleton's  lamented  death, 

was  short  but  severe.     On  Tuesday  the  2d  of  July,  1822,  he 

paid  a  visit  to  the  college,  which  is  distant   about  five  miles 

from  Calcutta.     Here  he  appeared  in  the  full  possession  of 

his  usual  health  and  spirits.     Soon  after,   he  felt  one  of  those 

strokes  of  the  sun,  which  are  so  common  in  an  Indian  climate. 

A  violent  head-ache  came  on  ;  but  though  he  was  persuaded  to 

take  some  strong  medicines,  he  would  not  suffer  any  medical 

man  to  be  called  in.     He  seemed  from  the  first  to  labour 

under  the  irritation  which  arose  from  the  weight  of  business 

pressing  upon  him ;  and,  on  that  very  account,  he  was  the 

more  anxious  to  work  night  and  day  to  accomplish  what  he 

had  in  hand.     Accordingly,  the  next  day,  he  sat  at  his  desk 

eight  hours,  answering  various  papers ;  during  which  time  the 

disease  was  making  rapid  inroads  upon  his  frame.     At  night 

he  allowed  a  physician  to  be  sent  for,  who  pronounced  him  to 

be  in  the  most  imminent  danger.     On  Sunday,. by  his  own 

express  desire,  he  was  prayed  for  by  his  congregation,  at  the 

cathedral.     On  the  evening  of  Monday,  the  physician  left 

him  under  the  impression  that  he  was  decidedly  better.     He 

had  not,  however,  been  long  gone,  when  the  bishop  was  again 

seized   with   a  violent  paroxysm  of  fever;  he  walked  about 

in  great  agitation :  soon  afterwards,  his  strength  gave  way, 

the  final  scene  came  rapidly  on,  —  and  at  eleven  o'clock  on 

the  night  of  Monday  the  8th  of  July,  1822,  he  ceased  to 

breathe. 

Thus  fell  this  great  and  good  prelate,  in  the  high  career  of 
his  holy  exertions ;  and  by  his  death  he  has  left  a  void  in  the 
Christian  world,  which  few  are  worthy  to  fill.  As  far  as  such 
a  loss  can  be  supplied,  however,  it  no  doubt  will  be  so  by  the 
eminent  and  excellent  individual  who  has  gone  out  to  India 
to  succeed  him.  * 

In  no  man  could  there  be  a  more  singular  union  of  all  those 
various  qualities  which  were  each  so  essential  to  the  success 
of  the  first  Indian  prelate,  than  in  Dr.  Middleton.  His  mind 

*  Dr.  Heber. 


158  BISHOP    MIDDLETON. 

was  naturally  ardent  and  excursive,  but  it  was  always  under 
the  controul  of  the  most  disciplined  and  calculating  discretion. 
He  had  a  masculine  and  a  practical  understanding  :  he  rapidly 
conceived  the  most  extensive  plans,  and  would  digest  with 
facility  even  their  most  circumstantial  details ;  but  he  never 
anticipated  their  season,  or  hurried  their  execution  :  he  waited 
with  patience,  till  in  the  course  of  passing  events  a  favourable 
opportunity  should  arise,  and  when  at  last  it  presented  itself, 
he  marked  it  with  decision,  and  he  seized  it  with  effect.  So 
singular  indeed  was  his  judgment,  that  amidst  the  various  dif- 
ficulties with  which  he  was  daily  and  hourly  doomed  to  con- 
tend, he  never  made  a  step  which  he  was  afterwards  obliged 
to  recall. 

His  talents  and  attainments  were  of  a  superior  order :  he 
was  a  sound  and  accurate  scholar ;  and  in  the  prose  depart- 
ment of  Greek  literature,  he  was  perhaps  without  a  rival. 
His  conversation  was  vigorous,  sometimes  even  playful ;  his 
style  was  luminous  and  forcible,  not  abounding  in  imagery,  but 
rising  perpetually  into  a  manly  and  a  chastened  eloquence. 
As  a  preacher  he  was  powerful  and  convincing ;  his  mind  was 
theological,  and  his  expression  scriptural. 

The  leading  points,  however,  in  his  character,  which  threw 
a  clearness  and  a  brilliancy  over  every  other,  were  the  single- 
ness of  his  views,  and  the  simplicity  of  his  heart.  In  the 
course  of  his  Indian  career  he  had  but  one  object — the  ad- 
vancement of  the  cause  of  Christianity  in  the  East  —  to  that 
he  dedicated  his  days  and  his  nights,  his  hopes  and  his  fears, 
his  money  and  his  influence.  Labours  so  disinterested,  and 
services  so  pure,  were  not  rejected  —  the  blessing  of  the  Al- 
mighty was  upon  them — and  the  work  of  the  Gospel  pros- 
pered in  his  hand.  The  prejudices  with  which  at  his  outset 
he  was  overpowered  on  every  side,  were  rapidly  giving  way  ; 
and  during  his  short  residence  among  them,  more  was  done 
by  his  single  instrumentality  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  con- 
version of  the  heathen,  than  during  the  whole  previous  period 
of  the  British  dominion  in  the  East. 


BISHOP    MIDDLETON.  159' 

His  notions  of  duty  were  strict  and  severe.  He  was  incapa- 
ble of  casuistry  or  of  excuse;  he  knew  no  middle  line  between 
right  and  wrong,  truth  and  falsehood,  exertion  and  neglect. 
With  an  income  far  below  the  necessary  expenses  of  his 
station,  he  stinted  only  his  own  comforts  and  himself.  To 
the  call  of  liberality  or  of  charity  he  was  always  open,  even 
to  his  own  distress ;  insomuch,  that  after  eight  years'  residence 
in  India,  his  savings  amounted  to  nothing. 

The  admiration  of  his  personal  character  in  the  East  was 
universal ;  and  that  admiration  was  the  more  valuable,  as  it 
was  purchased  by  no  sacrifice  either  of  duty  or  of  principle. 
Never  in  the  slightest  degree  would  he  condescend  to  court 
popularity  :  he  conducted  himself  with  a  conscious  and  a 
commanding  dignity,  and  never  would  resign  any  right  or 
privilege  which  was  attached  to  his  station,  although  he 
might  have  converted  the  resignation  into  a  source  of  private 
favour  or  personal  interest.  It  was  his  aim  to  lay  the  foun- 
dations of  the  Indian  church  deep  in  the  rock,  and  to  cement 
them  with  so  much  anxiety  and  caution,  as  to  make  the 
future  erection  of  a  superstructure  a  rapid  and  an  easy  task. 

His  remains  were  interred  on  the  evening  of  the  llth  of 
June,  within  the  walls  of  his  own  cathedral,  with  all  the 
solemnity  due  to  his  character  and  station.  The  following 
Calcutta  Government  Gazette  Extraordinary  was  published 
on  the  mournful  occasion  :  — 


"  Fort  William,  Wednesday,  July  10.  1822. 

"  With  sentiments  of  the  deepest  concern,  the  Governor- 
general  in  council  notifies  to  the  public,  the  demise,  on  the 
night  of  Monday  last,  of  the  Right  Reverend  the  Lord 
Bishop  of  Calcutta. 

"  His  Excellency  in  council,  adverting  to  the  unaffected 
piety,  the  enlarged  benevolence,  and  the  acknowledged  mo- 
deration of  the  late  bishop,  conceives  that  he  only  anticipates 
the  eager  and  unanimous  feeling  of  all  classes  of  the  Chris- 


160  BISHOP    MIDDLETON. 

tian  inhabitants  of  this  city,  when  he  announces  his  desire 
that  every  practicable  degree  of  respect  and  veneration  should 
be  manifested  on  this  most  distressing  occasion,  to  the  memory 
of  this  excellent  and  lamented  prelate. 

"  His  Excellency  in  council  is  pleased  therefore  to  request, 
that  the  principal  officers  of  Government,  both  civil  and  mili- 
tary, will  attend  at  the  melancholy  ceremony  of  the  bishop's 
interment,  and  that  every  other  public  demonstration  of 
attention  and  respect,  consistent  with  the  occasion,  be  observed 
on  the  day  appointed  for  the  funeral. 

"  By  command  of  His  Excellency  the  most  noble  the  Go- 
vernor-general in  council. 

"    C.   LUSHINGTON, 

"  Acting  Chief  Sec.  to  the  Government." 

Dr.  Middleton  left  no  children  behind  him  to  lament  his 
loss.  Of  his  amiable  and  excellent  widow,  the  bishop,  in  a 
private  letter  written  a  short  time  before  his  death,  spoke  in 
the  following  affecting  words :  —  "  Mrs.  Middleton  is  nearly 
all  that  I  have  to  rest  upon  in  India,  particeps  omnium  conci- 
liorum  meorum,  et  pro  viribus  adjutrix" 

As  soon  as  the  intelligence  of  the  afflicting  event  reached 
England,  a  general  meeting  was  called  of  the  Society  for 
Promoting  Christian  Knowledge.  Of  the  proceedings  at 
that,  and  at  a  subsequent  meeting  on  the  same  subject,  the 
following  are  the  official  reports  :  — 

"  SOCIETY  FOR  PROMOTING  CHRISTIAN  KNOWLEDGE. 

Bartlett's  Buildings,  16th  Dec.  1822. 

"  At  a  numerous  and  highly  respectable  Meeting  of  Members 
of  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  con- 
vened for  the  purpose  of  considering  what  Measures  it 
might  be  proper  for  the  Society  to  adopt,  on  occasion  of 
the  lamented  Death  of  the  Ix>rd  Bishop  of  Calcutta:  — 


BISHOP  MIDDLETOX.  161 

"  The  Right  Reverend  the  Lord  Bishop  of  London  in  the 
Chair  (in  the  unavoidable  absence  of  His  Grace  the 
President), 

"  The  following  resolutions  were  unanimously  agreed  to: — 

"  That  this  Board  having  received,  with  feelings  of  the 
deepest  regret,  intelligence  of  the  death  of  the  Right  Reverend 
Thomas  Fanshawe  Middleton,  D,  D.,  Lord  Bishop  of  Cal- 
cutta, do  sincerely  deplore  the  sudden  termination  of  that 
long  and  intimate  connexion  which  subsisted  between  his 
lordship  and  the  Society. 

"  That  this  Board  feel  it  their  duty  thus  publicly  to  ex- 
press their  lively  sense  of  that  rare  union  of  wisdom,  activity, 
and  firmness,  which  marked  the  character  of  the  late  Lord 
Bishop  of  Calcutta,  and?  qualified  him,  in  an  eminent  degree, 
to  accomplish  the  arduous  undertaking  of  establishing  in  the 
East  a  branch  of  the  Apostolical  Church  of  England  ;  an  un- 
dertaking, which,  under  his  prudent  and  energetic  manage- 
ment, was  in  the  most  promising  state  of  advancement ;  but 
the  completion  of  which,  under  the  Divine  blessing,  must  be 
looked  for  from  a  similar  combination  of  talent  and  piety  in 
those  who  may  hereafter  be  called  to  the  exercise  of  episcopal 
functions  in  India. 

"  That  this  Board,  recollecting  the  solemn  and  affecting 
address,  in  which  the  Bishop,  upon  the  eve  of  his  departure 
for  India,  took  leave  of  the  Society,  and  adverting  to  the 
pledge  which  he  then  gave  of  promoting  to  the  utmost  of  his 
power  the  objects  of  the  Society,  within  the  sphere  of  his  spi- 
ritual influence,  are  desirous  of  expressing  their  grateful  sense 
of  the  zealous  and  effectual  manner  in  which  that  pledge  has 
been  redeemed. 

"  That  with  a  view  to  a  more  durable  expression  of  the 
esteem  and  regret  of  this  Board,  measures  be  taken  for  the 
erection  of  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  late  Lord 
Bishop  of  Calcutta,  in  the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Paul ;  the 
expence  to  be  defrayed  by  the  individual  subscriptions  of 
members  of  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge ; 

VOL.  VIII.  M 


1(52  BISHOP    MIDDLETON. 

and  that  books  be  forthwith  opened  at  the  Society's  office,  and 
with  the  secretaries  of  the  diocesan  and  district  committees, 
for  receiving  the  names  of  subscribers. 

"  That  this  Board  feel  a  melancholy  satisfaction  in  adopt- 
ing a  suggestion  made  by  the  late  Lord  Bishop  of  Calcutta, 
in  his  last  letter  to  the  Society,  relative  to  the  foundation  of 
five  scholarships  in  the  Mission  College  at  Calcutta ;  and 
accordingly  agree  to  place  the  sum  of  6000/.  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign 
Parts,  for  the  purpose  of  endowing  five  scholarships,  besides 
affording  a  salary  for  a  Tamul  teacher,  in  the  said  college, 
with  such  reference  to  the  sons  of  the  Society's  missionaries  as 
the  statutes  of  the  college  may  allow :  and  that  this  Board, 
anxious  that  the  piety  and  zeal  of  the  late  Lord  Bishop  of 
Calcutta  should  be  honoured  with  an  appropriate  memorial 
in  the  country  where  they  were  most  conspicuously  and  bene- 
ficially displayed,  do  recommend,  that  the  said  scholarships 
be  founded,  and  henceforth  called  by  the  name  of  Bishop 
Middleton's  Scholarships. 

"  That  this  Board,  having  a  well-grounded  confidence, 
that  the  venerable  Archdeacon  Loring  will,  during  the  va- 
cancy in  the  see  of  Calcutta,  use  his  best  endeavours  to  pro- 
mote the  several  important  designs  for  the  advancement  of 
Christian  knowledge  in  the  East  which  occupied  so  large  a 
portion  of  the  late  Lord  Bishop's  time  and  solicitude,  do 
invite  the  Archdeacon  to  enter  into  correspondence  with  the 
Society ;  and  do  assure  him,  that  any  suggestions  which  he 
may  think  proper  to  offer,  in  furtherance  of  those  designs, 
will  obtain  the  Society's  most  favourable  consideration. 

"  That,  as  a  mark  of  the  high  esteem  entertained  by  this 
Board  for  the  character  and  virtues  of  the  Widow  of  the  late 
Lord  Bishop  of  Calcutta,  a  copy  of  the  resolutions  adopted 
at  this  special  general  meeting  of  the  Society,  handsomely 
written  on  vellum,  be  presented  to  Mrs.  Middleton,  imme- 
diately after  her  arrival  in  England. 

"  That  a  committee,  consisting  of  nine  members  of  the 
Society,  viz.  his  Grace  the  Lord  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 


BISHOP    MIDDLETON.  163 

(president,)  the  Right  Reverend  the  Lord  Bishop  of  London, 
the  Right  Reverend  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  (Dean  of 
St.  Paul's,)  the  Right  Honourable  Lord  Kenyon,  the  Vener- 
able the  Archdeacon  of  London,  the  Venerable  the  Archdea- 
con of  Middlesex,  the  Venerable  the  Archdeacon  of  Col- 
chester, the  Reverend  Dr.  D'Oyley,  Joshua  Watson,  Esq., 
be  appointed  to  superintend  the  erection  of  the  monument, 
and  to  take  all  such  steps  as  may  be  necessary  for  carrying 
the  resolutions  of  this  meeting  into  effect. 

"  That  the  contributions,  towards  the  erection  of  the  mo- 
nument, be  limited  to  the  amount  of  each  member's  annual 
subscription  to  the  Society. 

"  That  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the  Board  at  this  special 
meeting  of  the  Society,  be  published,  under  the  direction  of 
the  committee. 

"  Agreed  unanimously,  that  the  thanks  of  this  meeting  be 
given  to  the  Right  Reverend  the  Lord  Bishop  of  London,  for 
having  taken  the  chair ;  and  for  the  very  obliging  and  able 
manner  in  which  he  has  conducted  the  business  of  the  day. 

"  GEO.  GASKIN,  D.D.,  Secretary." 

"Dec.  27.  1822. 

"  At  a  second  special  general  meeting,  convened  for  the  pur- 
pose of  receiving  and  taking  into  consideration  an  appli- 
cation from  the  Incorporated  Society  for  the  Propagation 
of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts,  '  for  permission  to  co- 
operate with  the  members  of  the  Society  for  Promoting 
Christian  Knowledge,  in  the  erection  of  a  monument  to 
the  memory  of  the  late  Lord  Bishop  of  Calcutta,  in 
the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Paul,  and  thus  to  perpetuate 
their  feelings  of  gratitude  for  his  services  and  admiration  of 
his  talents,' 

"  His  Grace  the  Lord  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  in  the 
Chair, 

M  2 


16'i  BISHOP    MIDDLETON. 

"  The  following  resolutions  were  unanimously  agreed  to  •:— 

"  That  this  board  gladly  acknowledge  the  cordial  union 
that  has  so  long  and  so  happily  subsisted  between  the  Society 
for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge  and  the  Incorporated 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts, 
inasmuch  as  the  two  Societies  arose  from  the  same  stock, 
were  founded  on  the  same  principles,  and  act  under  the 
same  president, 

"  That  this  Board  therefore,  however  anxious  they  may 
have  been  to  reserve  to  the  members  of  the  Society  for 
Promoting  Christian  Knowledge  the  honour  of  offering  a 
suitable  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  late  Lord  Bishop  of 
Calcutta,  cannot  resist  the  earnest  request  that  has  now  been 
made  by  the  sister  Society,  to  be  admitted  to  co-operate  with 
them  in  the  erection  of  the  monument  proposed  to  be  placed 
in  the  cathedral  church  of  St*  Paul. 

"  That  two  members  of  the  Incorporated  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  viz.  the  Rev.  H.  H.  Norris,  and 
Rev.  J.  Lonsdale,  be  added  to  the  special  committee,  which 
has  been  appointed  to  carry  this  design  into  execution. 

"  That  the  Archdeacon  of  London  be  requested  to  furnish 
the  Board  with  a  copy  of  the  admirable  address  delivered  by 
him  at  the  last  special  general  meeting,  for  the  uses  of  the 
Society. 

"  Agreed  unanimously,  that  the  cordial  and  respectful 
thanks  of  the  meeting  be  offered  to  his  Grace  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  for  presiding  on  this  occasion. 

"  GEO.  GASKIN,  D.D.,  Secretary." 

The  Archdeacon  of  London's  address  to  the  Board  of  the 
Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  on  moving  the 
resolutions  for  the  Society's  adoption,  on  occasion  of  the 
lamented  death  of  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Calcutta. 

"  MY  LORD, 
"  Having  had  the  honour  to  fill  the  chair  of  your  com- 


BISHOP    M1DDLETON.  165 

mittee,  when  we  were  called  to  deliberate  upon  a  subject  of 
so  much  general  concern,  and  of  such  special  interest  to  this 
Society  — I  should  not  discharge  what  is  due  to  that  com- 
mittee, if  I  did  not,  in  moving  their  resolutions,  endeavour 
to  express  the  common  feeling  of  those  delegated  members. 
They  have,  indeed,  made  this  declaration  in  a  way  entirely 
proper  and  becoming  in  the  minutes  which  were  framed  at 
that  time,  and  which  will  now  be  submitted  to  your  Lordship 
and  to  this  Board.  They  have  rendered  thus  a  cordial 
testimony  of  respect,  esteem,  and  admiration ;  of  regret  and 
affliction  for  the  loss  sustained,  and  of  the  strong  desire  which 
is  felt,  I  may  safely  say,  by  every  member  of  this  Society,  to 
offer  a  suitable  and  lasting  tribute  to  the  memory  of  one  who 
was  so  highly  valued,  <and  is  now  so  much  lamented. 

"  Your  committee,  indeed,  approached  the  subject  as 
they  would  have  gathered  round  the  honoured  bier  of  him 
to  whom  their  thoughts  were  directed,  if  his  native  land  and 
the  train  and  attendance  of  his  nearest  friends  had  been  the 
scene  allotted  for  his  funeral  obsequies  —  and  standing  now 
in  this  room,  where  I  have  so  often  heard  him  lend  his  voice 
to  our  counsels,  and  where  he  gave  the  last  assurances  of 
co-operation  with  the  views  of  the  Society,  which  were  con- 
formable, in  all  respects,  with  his  own,  I  may  be  permitted, 
from  my  own  experience,  to  say  a  word  which  may  borrow 
its  excuse  from  feelings  which  I  find  it  difficult,  at  this  mo*- 
ment,  to  controul. 

"  It  cannot  be  needful  for  me  to  remind  your  Lordship, 
whose  vigilant  attention  is  never  wanting  to  promote  the  in- 
fluence, and  to  aid  and  direct  the  deliberations,  of  this  Board, 
that  the  Society  enjoyed,  in  an  eminent  degree,  the  confi- 
dence of  the  distinguished  prelate  of  whom  I  now  speak, 
and  whose  image  fills  my  mind.  But  there  were  those  who 
had  still  nearer  opportunities,  from  habits  of  familiar  inter- 
course, to  learn  the  sentiments  and  motives  which,  under 
Providence,  induced  him  to  accept  a  charge  which  could  not 
fail  to  expose  him  to  more  than  an  ordinary  measure  of  the 

M  3 


166  BISHOP    M1DDLETON. 

risks  and  difficulties  to  which  the  devoted  servant  of  Christ 
Jesus  stands  bound  in  every  case. 

"  There  are  not  many  who  had  better  opportunities  than  I 
had,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  from  us,  for  collecting  from 
his  own  mouth  the  prompt  expression  of  his  thoughts. 
There  is  one  who  had  a  closer  intimacy  with  him,  and  de- 
served it  more  —  your  excellent  Treasurer,  now  present,  to 
whom  the  public  owes  more  than  it  can  ever  repay,  except 
by  continuing  to  be  the  object  of  those  services  which  carry 
with  them  their  own  recompence,  in  the  benefits  which  they 
produce ;  and  to  him  I  can  appeal,  were  it  needful  now  to  put 
the  question,  whether  he  has  ever  witnessed  purer  motives 
operating  in  the  mind  of  any  man,  than  those  which  swayed 
the  resolutions  of  his  friend,  and  determined  him  to  count  all 
things  little  in  this  life  in  comparison  with  the  charge  which 
was  devolved  upon  him  ? 

"  I  do  not  pretend  to  say  that  there  have  not  been  those 
whose  zeal  may  have  induced  them  to  make  more  violent  and 
extraordinary  sacrifices  in  the  same  cause  ;  but  I  confess  that 
I  am  not  disposed  to  measure  zeal  itself,  as  it  should  lend  to 
the  best  degrees  of  wisdom,  virtue,  and  well-doing,  by  the 
single  standard  of  a  voluntary  sacrifice.  If  I  did,  I  might  be 
led  to  place  the  pattern  of  a  Loyola  above  that  of  him  whose 
zeal  kept  pace  at  all  times  with  its  occasions,  and  prompted 
him  to  employ  the  fittest  methods  for  accomplishing  the  best 
designs. 

"  I  have  heard  him  say,  in  the  warm  effusion  of  his  heart, 
that  he  had  revolved  the  subject  which  had  been  placed  before 
him  by  the  wishes  of  those  who,  with  so  much  judgment, 
selected  him  for  this  charge;  and  that  having,  without  eager- 
ness of  mind,  or  overweening  confidence,  surveyed  the  matter 
on  all  sides,  and  having  lent  an  ear  to  the  call,  he  thought 
that  it  remained  for  him  to  cast  every  care  behind  him,  and 
to  address  himself,  with  an  humble  trust  in  the  good  Pro- 
dence  of  Almighty  God,  to  the  work  to  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed. 


BISHOP   MIDDLETON.  if)? 

"  I  had  occasion  to  see  something  of  the  course  of  study  in 
which  he  was  then  occupied,  which  was  various  in  its  objects, 
but  directed  to  one  end.     I  had  often  felt  the  power   and 
energy  of  his  comprehensive  mind,  the  compass  and  sagacity 
of  which  have  since  been  so  signally  displayed ;  and  I  may,  I 
hope,  be  allowed  to  say,  that  the  Church  of  England,  by  the 
care  of  those  who  preside  in  it,  with  whose  advice  and  appro- 
bation we  must  all  feel  convinced  that  the  new-formed  dio- 
cese received  its  first  appointed  pastor,   discharged  a  weighty 
trust  with  a  singular  discretion.     If  the  guides  and  rulers  of 
our  Apostolical  Church,  and  all  in  her  communion,  felt  the 
common  wish  to  set  the  first  pattern  of  Episcopal  government 
in  a  suitable  manner  in  that  distant  land  which  has  of  late 
years  proved  a  field  fgr  the  display  of  various  talents  above 
most  others  —  if  such  were  the  purpose,  as  indeed  it  must 
have  been,  I  do  not  doubt  that  the  voice  of  those  whom  I 
have  now  the  honour  to  address  will  concur  with  me  in  de- 
claring that  the  purpose  was  effected ;  that  the  choice  was  well 
and  wisely  exercised ;   and  that  the  consequences  have  been 
answerable,  fulfilling  every  pledge  that  had  been  given,  and 
crowning  every  hopeful  expectation  which  was  raised.     I  am 
quite  sure^  likewise,  that  we  must  all  feel  that  the  resolutions 
which  are  now  about  to  be  proposed  to  your  Lordship  and 
the  Board  for  your  adoption  will  mark  at  once  the  great  im- 
portance of  the  seat  now  vacant,  and  will  describe  the  same 
solicitude  with  reference  to  its  further  supply,  that  what  has 
been  so  happily  begun  may  be  as  successfully  pursued.     The 
tribute  which  is  to  be  rendered  to  the  memory  of  one  who 
so  faithfully  discharged  an  arduous  duty,  will  thus  become 
a  source  of  further  benefit,  whilst  it  contributes  in  some  mea- 
sure to  perpetuate  his  name,  until  they  who  share  with  him  in 
their  respective  stations  and  in  their  proportion  in  the  service 
of  the  same  Lord,  shall  enter  with  him  into  the  joy  and  king- 
dom of  that  Lord." 

Upon  its  being  resolved  at  a  subsequent  meeting,  that  the 

M  4- 


168  BISHOP   MIDDLETON. 

Archdeacon  of  London  be  requested  to  furnish  the  So- 
ciety with  a  copy  of  the  preceding  address,  and  upon  such 
resolution  being  communicated  to  him,  by  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  then  in  the  chair,  the  Archdeacon  replied 
in  the  following  terms :  — 

"  I  cannot  feel  myself  at  liberty  to  withhold  my  compliance 
where  the  commands  of  your  Grace  and  the  wishes  of  this 
Board  are  signified ;  although,  I  must  confess,  I  have  since 
thought,  on  recalling  what  was  spoken  by  me  on  a  former  day 
in  moving  the  resolutions  of  the  committee,  that  what  was  said 
was  many  ways  defective.  If  it  had  any  claim  to  attention  from 
the  Board,  it  could  not  be  for  what  was  generally  known  and 
felt  concerning  one  so  excellent ;  but  from  what  I  had  it  in 
my  power  to  state,  from  the  private  intercourse  of  domestic 
friendship,  in  which  the  inclinations  of  the  mind  and  thoughts 
appear  most  readily,  and  are  expressed  without  reserve.  I  can 
never  cease  to  retain  the  full  effect  of  one  such  conversation, 
though  I  am  well  aware  that  I  could  not  convey  to  the  minds 
of  others  those  impressions  which  remain  so  deeply  fixed 
upon  my  own.  I  could  not  describe  the  manner,  tone,  and 
spirit,  with  which  those  spontaneous  feelings  were  then  marked. 
They  will  never  be  effaced  from  my  remembrance. 

"But  in  one  respect,  I  have  had  occasion,  on  reflection, 
to  tax  myself  with  an  omission,  when  the  opportunity 
was  offered,  which  was  quite  unpardonable.  My  mind 
was  so  carried  away  with  the  deep  sense  of  regret  which 
I  felt,  and  which  was  shared  by  all  around  me,  that  I 
omitted  what  should  have  been  offered  on  the  score  of  con- 
solation. 

"  It  is,  then,  to  the  public  services  of  that  excellent  prelate, 
so  far  as  they  have  been  accomplished,  that  we  must  look  for 
the  grounds  of  consolation.  He  who  put  his  hand  to  the 
plough  never  once  removed  it,  never  once  looked  back  un- 
less it  were  for  aids  and  succours  from  this  quarter :  and  we 
have  the  satisfaction  to  reflect,  that  they  were  never  wanting 
on  the  part  of  this  Society.  The  good  effects  have  followed. 


BISHOP    M1DDLETON.  169 

I  will  not  detain  your  Grace  and  the  Board  further  than  to 
say,  that  indeed  the  services  effected  were  worth  the  life  of 
any  man,  however  highly  valued,  however  dear  to  others, 
and  whatever,  under  other  circumstances,  might  have  been 
the  term  of  its  duration." 

"  Although  the  injunction  laid  by  the  Board  is  thus  ful- 
filled, and  any  word  that  can  be  added  must  want  that  sanc- 
tion, and  require  apology  as  a  freedom  not  commonly 
permitted,  yet  in  returning  this  sheet  to  the  press,  it  is  im- 
possible to  disguise  the  sense  of  its  inadequacy ;  and  more 
particularly  as  no  thought  existed  of  the  address  surviving 
the  occasion  by  which  it  was  produced. 

"  It  must  now  remain  for  others  to  trace,  more  ably  and 
distinctly,  the  several  *stages  of  that  prosperous  and  well 
finished  course,  which  took  its  commencement  from  the  bosom 
of  this  country,  and  its  central  city,  in  which  the  distinguished 
prelate,  the  subject  of  this  short  address,  had  his  early  and 
successful  culture,  and  where  he  exhibited  the  first  earnests 
of  his  genius,  his  great  capacity  for  every  good  attainment, 
and  his  blameless  conduct. 

"  It  will  remain  for  others  to  trace  the  rising  strength  of  his 
increasing  years  and  more  mature  acquirements,  to  the  rank 
which  he  obtained  in  the  church,  in  whose  ministries  and 
service  every  effort  of  his  mind  and  soul  was  so  happily  ex- 
pended. 

"  It  will  remain  for  others  to  follow  him  with  an  heed- 
ful eye  to  a  distant  and  far-severed  clime,  where  every 
generous  quality  of  his  cultivated  mind,  and  each  particular 
of  his  rich  attainments,  found  their  full  scope,  and  were 
displayed  with  such  large  results  of  solid  benefit  and  per- 
manent esteem. 

"  It  will  remain  for  others  to  track  his  progress  through 
long  leagues  of  travel,  both  by  land  and  sea,  in  his  several 
visits  to  remoter  parts  of  his  extensive  diocese :  and  to  con- 
template him  jn  the  fixed  scene  and  circle  of  his  customary 
residence  and  unremitting  pains. 


170  JBISHOP    MIDDLETON, 

"  They  will  behold  him  forming,  at  once,  and  with  the  out- 
line and  the  true  proportions  of  a  master's  hand,  the  noble  plan 
of  a  college  which  may  from  henceforth  be  regarded  as  the 
seed  plot  of  every  good  and  profitable  plant  which  may  be 
trained,  and  fitted,  and  set  out  in  the  soil  in  which  they  are 
to  flourish  through  succeeding  generations.  They  will  ob- 
serve him  forming,  with  equal  skill  and  foresight,  the  statutes 
for  that  great  establishment ;  which  may  thus  appear  to  have 
sprung  up  almost  at  the  first  step  placed  in  India  by  one, 
who  was  soon  to  pass  to  an  everlasting  mansion,  but  whose 
temporary  labours  were  thus  calculated  for  endurance,  even 
on  this  transitory  globe. 

"  One  thing,  however,  remains  yet  for  the  mover  of  the  re- 
solutions here  alluded  to ;  and  before  this  sheet,  which  must 
not  tarry  for  enlargement,  returns  to  the  hand  which  must 
give  it  to  the  public,  it  may  furnish  some  amends  for  what  is 
here  defective  and  inadequate,  to  express  an  earnest  hope, 
that  the  last-transmitted  fruits  of  an  enlightened  mind  and 
solid  judgment,  the  two  concluding  Charges  delivered  by  the 
Bishop  to  his  Clergy,  may  find  a  more  general  circulation,  by 
multiplied  and  numerous  copies,  through  his  native  land. 
The  view  presented  in  those  exquisite  discourses,  of  the  pro- 
visions made  by  the  Great  Author  of  our  common  hope  for 
planting  and  perpetuating  his  church,  with  the  steps  which 
followed  thereupon  in  the  first  ages  of  the  Christian  era,  and 
the  pattern  there  drawn  of  the  sacred  bond  of  fellowship  and 
concord ;  of  faith,  discipline,  and  practical  proficiency ;  are 
calculated,  as  all  his  labours  were,  for  the  general  advantage 
of  the  Christian  world,  and  should  have  as  wide  a  range. 
Should  this  suggestion  be  regarded,  and  this  wish  be  ful- 
filled in  any  manner,  it  will  compensate  for  defects  in  what  is 
thus  given  to  the  public ;  and  will  establish  a  more  effectual, 
and  a  thousandfold  more  precious,  monument  to  the  memory 
of  this  exemplary  prelate,  than  that  which  is  so  properly  pro- 
jected for  him  by  the  two  Societies  to  which,  for  the  best 
reasons,  he  was  so  faithfully  attached:  —  it  will  also  satisfy  the 


BISHOP    MIDDLETON.  171 

cordial  spirit  of  concern  (more  promptly  felt  than  testified), 
which  served  at  once  both  to  excite,  and  to  restrain  expres- 
sions ;  which  at  the  moment  of  delivery  could  not  endure  the 
seal  of  silence,  but  which  touched  with  diffidence  a  subject 
that  surpassed  its  powers. 

"  St.  Martin's  Vicarage,  January,  1823." 


172 


No.  VIII. 
CHARLES  SHAW  LEFEVRE,  Esg. 

IVlK.  LEFEVRE  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  in  1759,  and  was  the 
only  son  of  the  Rev.  George  Shaw,  who  had  patrimonial 
estates  in  that  county,  and  who  lived  to  the  great  age  of 
ninety-two  years,  an  exemplary  and  enlightened  member  of 
the  Church  of  England.  He  received  his  education  at  Tri- 
nity College,  Cambridge,  of  which  he  became  a  fellow,  after 
having  finished  his  academical  studies  with  distinction.  He 
then  was  entered  at  Lincoln's  Inn,  intending  to  follow  the 
profession  of  the  law.  In  due  progress  he  was  called  to  the 
bar,  and  for  several  years  went  the  midland  circuit. 

In  1789,  he  married  Helena,  only  daughter  of  John  Le- 
fevre,  Esq.,  of  Old  Ford,  Middlesex,  whose  name  he  assumed , 
and  by  the  death  of  that  lady's  father,  shortly  after  their 
marriage,  became  possessed  of  an  ample  fortune,  and  fixed 
his  residence  at  the  house  of  his  venerable  mother-in-law, 
near  Reading,  in  Berkshire.  From  this  time  he  pursued  the 
law  no  longer  as  a  profession,  but  merely  as  a  liberal  study : 
he  did  not,  however,  withdraw  himself  from  business,  but 
became  an  active  magistrate  for  Hampshire;  and  so  distin- 
guished himself  in  that  character  by  his  assiduity  and  intelli- 
gence, that  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Serjeant  Kerby,  he  was 
chosen,  and  continued  for  several  years,  to  be  perpetual 
chairman  of  the  quarter  sessions.  He  was  afterwards  made 
recorder  of  Basingstoke. 

In  1796,  Mr.  Shaw  Lefevre  extended  the  sphere  of  his 
utility,  and  was  returned  as  a  member  of  parliament  for  the 
borough  of  Newtown,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight.  He  continued 


CHARLES  SHAW  LEFEVRE,    ESQ.  173 

to  sit  in  parliament  from  this  time  to  the  last  dissolution  in 
1820:  but  it  was  at  the  general  election  in  1802,  that  his 
political  connection  with  the  borough  of  Reading  commenced. 
At  that  period,  the  inhabitants  of  Reading,  conceiving  that 
the  old  interest  which  had  long  preponderated  there  might 
be  overturned,  looked  out  for  a  man  of  character  and  opu- 
lence, that  would  come  forward  as  their  champion  and  assert 
their  independence.  In  this  critical  conjuncture  all  eyes  were 
turned  towards  their  neighbour,  Mr.  Lefevre,  as  the  fittest 
person  for  this  purpose.  A  few  friends  accordingly  waited 
on  him  with  a  tender  of  their  services,  and  he  answered 
nobly  to  their  call.  A  contest  ensued  of  the  most  severe 
nature ;  but  under  such  a  leader,  and  so  supported,  the  con- 
flict was  not  long  doubtful,  and  it  ended  in  the  return  of 
Mr.  Lefevre  by  a  decided  and  triumphant  majority.  Once 
seated  for  the  borough,  he  was  afterwards  so  firmly  supported 
by  his  friends,  that  he  maintained  his  post  through  four  suc- 
cessive elections,  against  all  opposition.  At  the  last  general 
election  in  1820,  in  consequence  of  his  declining  health, 
which  had  obliged  him  to  seek  a  milder  climate,  he,  with  great 
reluctance,  withdrew  from  public  life,  and  resigned  into  the 
hands  of  his  constituents  the  trust  which  he  had  held  so  long, 
so  honourably  to  himself,  and  so  advantageously  to  the  bo- 
rough of  Reading. 

We  have  reason  to  know,  that  the  uniform  and  steady 
support  of  his  friends  at  Reading  had  made  an  indelible  im- 
pression on  Mr.  Shaw  Lefevre's  mind  and  heart,  and  that  the 
most  mortifying  circumstance  of  his  long  and  severe  indis- 
position was  the  utter  inability  it  laid  him  under  of  express- 
ing personally  to  all  his  friends,  after  his  return  to  England, 
the  deep  sense  of  his  continued  obligations  to  them,  from 
their  first  notice  of  him  down  to  the  period  of  his  political 
separation  from  them.  If  the  borough  of  Reading  is  now  as 
free  and  open  a  borough  as  any  in  England,  not  excepting 
Westminster  itself,  it  ought  never  to  be  forgotten  that  it  is 
mainly  indebted  for  this  high  distinction  to  the  bold  measures 
and  manly  co-operation  of  Mr.  Lefevre.  He  may  be  called 


CHARLES  SHAW  LEFEVRE,   ESQ. 

in  this  respect  the  founder  of  its  political  independence :  as 
by  his  exertions  ,a  spirit  of  uncontrolled  action,  and  of  re- 
sistance to  all  dictation,  has  been  excited  that  never  can  be 
laid  again. 

In  his  parliamentary  votes  and  conduct  Mr.  Shaw  Lefevre 
was  not  servilely  or  factiously  addicted  to  any  party,  but  main- 
tained on  all  great  occasions  the  character  of  an  independent 
country  gentleman.  To  jobs  of  all  sorts,  —  to  every  kind  of 
peculation,  or  waste  of  the  public  money,  —  he  had  the  most 
decided  enmity.  In  early  life  he  was  a  warm  advocate  of 
parliamentary  reform ;  and  although  he  doubted  of  the  expe- 
diency of  carrying  that  measure  into  effect  during  the  ferment 
of  political  opinion  which  prevailed  at  the  commencement  of 
the  French  Revolution,  yet,  that  once  past,  he  was  one  of  its 
sincerest  and  most  constant  supporters.  In  the  enumeration 
of  Mr.  Lefevre's  qualities,  it  ought  not  to  be  omitted  that  he 
was  eminently  a  man  of  business ;  and  on  this  account,  as 
well  as  on  account'  of  his  intimate  acquaintance  with  the 
forms  and  proceedings  of  the  House  of  Commons,  he  dis- 
charged most  successfully  the  unostentatious  but  very  useful 
and  laborious  duties  of  a  member  of  committees ;  and  in  these 
it  will  be  admitted,  by  all  who  knew  him,  that  he  had  few 
equals,  and  no  superior. 

Indeed  it  was  the  leading  principle  of  Mr,  Lefevre's  life  to 
consider  every  service  that  it  was  in  his  power  to  render  to  the 
public  as  no  more  than  the  discharge  of  a  just  debt  due  to 
society  from  men  of  all  stations,  and  particularly  from  men 
of  a  high  station ;  it  was  accordingly  with  this  view,  that 
when  the  country  was  menaced  with  invasion  during  the  last 
war,  and  government  called  upon  the  people  to  enrol  them- 
selves in  volunteer  corps,  he  raised  a  troop  of  yeomanry 
cavalry  in  his  own  neighbourhood,  and  obtained  the  command 
of  it.  This  command  he  resigned  only  with  his  life,  as  there 
was  something  in  the  union  of  the  citizen  and  the  soldier 
very  congenial  to  his  views,  and  as  he  considered  this  sort  of 
force  at  once  the  cheapest  and  the  most  coustitutional  defence 
of  the  country. 


CHARLES    SHAW  LEFEVRE,    ESQ.  175 

Such  were  the  public  principles  and  public  conduct  of 
Mr.  Lefevre.  If  we  trace  him  into  the  retirement  of  private 
life,  we  shall  find  him  there  also  equally  attentive  to  the 
punctilious  discharge  of  all  his  duties.  Habitual  good  hu- 
mour, gentleness,  and  benevolence,  marked  his  daily  inter- 
course with  his  family.  The  value  of  these  qualities,  those 
only  can  appreciate  who  lived  within  the  calm  and  bright 
sphere  of  their  operation ;  and  if  it  is  in  the  abstraction  of 
these  that  the  poignancy  of  domestic  affliction  consists,  so.  it 
is  in  the  tender  and  treasured  recollection  of  them  that  it 
finds  its  best  consolation.  A  large  circle  of  political  friends 
and  common  acquaintance  will  bear  ample  testimony  to  his 
popular  manners  and  deportment,  to  his  quick  perception  of 
every  man's  character,  to  his  suitable  address,  to  his  social 
talents,  and  to  his  frank  and  hearty  hospitality. 

As  the  family  of  Mr.  Lefevre  constituted  one  of  the  chief 
sources  of  his  happiness,  it  would  be  an  unpardonable  omis- 
sion if  we  did  not  state  that  he  has  left  behind  him  three  sons, 
Charles,  John,  and  Henry.  Charles,  the  eldest  son,  is  mar- 
ried to  a  daughter  of  the  late  Samuel  Whitbread,  Esq.,  and 
may  be  considered  as  not  more  the  heir  of  his  father's  pro- 
perty, than  he  is  of  his  father's  principles.  The  second  son, 
John,  who  obtained  the  honour  of  Senior  Wrangler,  at  Cam- 
bridge, is  a  fellow  of  Trinity  College,  and  is  now  pursuing  his 
legal  studies.  The  third  son,  Henry,  is  still  at  the  same 
university.  In  this  manner,  Mr.  Lefevre  enjoyed  the  hap- 
piness, the  greatest  that  can  occur  to  a  father,  of  seeing  all 
his  children  in  his  own  life-time,  either  well  settled,  or  with 
their  characters  and  habits  so  well  established  as  to  leave  no 
anxiety  on  his  mind  as  to  their  future  course  and  final 
success. 

Mr.  Lefevre  died  on  the  27th  of  April,  1823,  at  his  house 
in  Whitehall -place,  London  ;  in  the  64?th  year  of  his  age. 


176 


No.  IX. 
JOSEPH  NOLLEKENS,  ESQ.,  R.A. 

JL  HE  late  Mr.  Nollekens'  life  was  of  such  a  nature,  that  if 
adequate  materials  for  drawing  it  up  could  be  found,  it  would 
no  doubt  present  many  amusing,  and  some  not  unsalutary 
details.  He  was  any  thing  but  a  common  man.  He  had 
vanquished  difficulties  which  often  discourage  persons,  not 
of  less  genius,  but  of  less  persevering  courage.  He  struck 
out  his  own  path  to  fame ;  and  he  did  more,  —  for  he  over- 
came propensities  to  licentious  enjoyment  which  were  stronger 
than  those  of  most  men,  and  which  seemed  at  one  period  of 
his  life  to  have  almost  mastered  his  good  resolves. 

Mr.  Nollekens  was  born  in  Dean-street,  JSoho,  on  the  22d 
of  August,  1737,  of  foreign  parents  ;  his  father  being  a  native 
of  Antwerp,  and  his  mother  a  Frenchwoman.  In  Lord 
Orford's  "  Anecdotes  of  Painting,"  there  is  a  particular  ac- 
count of  his  father,  Joseph  Francis  Nollekens ;  who  was  an 
artist  of  more  ingenuity  than  original  talent,  and  who  came 
over  to  England  very  young,  and  studied  painting  under 
Tillemans.  He  afterwards  copied  Watteau;  and  imitated 
him  so  closely,  that  several  of  his  pictures,  still  in  existence, 
are  .scarcely  distinguishable  from  those  of  that  celebrated 
artist.  Mr.  Nollekens'  father  died  at  forty-two  years  of  age, 
when  his  son* Joseph  was  about  five  years  old,  leaving  a  widow 
and  ten  children,  with  little  or  no  provision ;  his  mother  soon 
afterwards  married  a  person  of  the  name  of  Williams,  an  in- 
ferior statuary,  who  modelled  for  the  Chelsea  porcelain  ma- 
nufactory ;  and  who  went  to  Flanders,  where  he  died ;  his 
widow  surviving  him  four  or  five  years. 


JOSEPH    NOLLEKENS,    ESQ.  177 

Mr.  Nollekens'  juvenile  productions  gave  but  little  earnest  of 
his  subsequent  fame.  At  eleven  years  of  age  he  was  pla£ed 
under  Mr.  Peter  Scheemaker,  the  most  eminent  sculptor  then  in 
England,  and  the  mediocrity  of  whose  talent  the  monuments  of 
Dr.  Chamberlain,  and  of  Shakspeare,  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
sufficiently  attest.  Under  this  artist,  however,  who  was  then 
about  seventy-two  years  of  age,  young  Nollekens  learned  to  per- 
form, the  more  laborious  and  mechanical  parts  of  his  pro- 
fession. The  drudgery  of  the  tasks  to  which  he  was  doomed, 
and  the  slender  hopes  held  out  to  his  ambition,  seem  to 
have  aided  his  natural  inclination  for  dissipation  ;  and  the  tra- 
dition is,  that  his  pleasures  were  as  coarse  and  excessive  as 
his  fate  appeared  to  be  unpromising.  The  inconvenience 
and  necessity  which  resulted  from  this  unlimited  indulgence, 
at  length  brought  him  back  to  habits  of  temperance  and 
industry.  He  began  to  apply  himself  diligently  to  the  study 
of  the  works  of  the  ancients ;  particularly  at  the  Duke  of 
Richmond's  rooms  at  Whitehall,  where  his  Grace,  with  a 
laudable  anxiety  for  the  progress  of  the  fine  arts  in  this 
country,  had  collected  abundance  of  very  fine  casts  from  the 
principal  antique  statutes.  Our  tyro's  efforts  were  rewarded, 
in  the  years  1759  and  1760,  by  premiums  from  the  Society 
of  Arts  for  a  drawing  from  the  Bacchus  of  Michael  Angelo, 
and  a  clay  model  of  his  own  composition  of  Jephthah's  Vow. 
In  1762  he  also  gained  the  principal  prize  for  a  basso  relievo 
in  marble,  the  subject  of  which,  we  believe,  was  the  visit  of 
the  Angels  to  Abraham.  Feeling  that  England  was  not  the 
place  in  which  he  could  expect  to  obtain  much  professional 
knowledge,  and  having  by  this  time  saved  a  sufficient 
sum  of  money  to  enable  him  to  prosecute  his  studies -in 
Italy,  he  repaired  to  Rome,  desirous  of  qualifying  himself 
for  what  was  then  the  summit  of  his  ambition,  the  situation 
of  assistant  to  Mr.  Wilton,  the  sculptor;  afterwards  for  many 
years  keeper  of  the  Royal  Academy.  At  Rome,  Mr.  Nol- 
lekens profited  by  the  instructions  of  Cavaceppi,  a  man  of 
considerable  note,  who  behaved  very  kindly  to  him,  not  only 
by  giving  him  the  information  and  advice  of  whicli  he^  stood 

VOL.  VIII.  N 


178  JOSEPH    NOLLEKENS,    ESQ. 

so  much  in  need,  but  by  introducing  him  to  the  society 
of  the  artists  and  literati  of  Rome.  Mr.  Nollekens'  progress 
in  his  art  now  became  very  rapid,  and  he  soon  had  the  ho- 
nour of  receiving  a  gold  medal  from  the  Roman  Academy 
of  Painting,  Sculpture,  and  Architecture ;  being  the  first 
premium  ever  adjudged  by  that  Academy  to  an  English 
sculptor. 

With  that  acuteness  which  distinguished  him  through  life, 
Mr.  Nollekens  quickly  discovered  that  the  ignorance  and 
vanity  of  the  greater  part  of  the  Englishmen  who  then  visited 
Rome  might  be  turned  to  good  account ;  and  he  became  a 
dealer  in  antiques,  and  in  the  modern  productions  of  Roman 
art.  Many  reasons  concurred  to  make  his  assistance  sought 
both  by  the  needy  Italian  artists,  and  by  the  wealthy  English 
nobility  ;  and  he,  at  once,  improved  his  fortune,  gave  general 
satisfaction  to  his  clients  of  all  descriptions,  and  steadily  pro- 
secuted his  professional  studies. 

During  a  residence  of -nearly  nine  years  at  Rome,  the  com- 
pany of  Mr.  Nollekens  was  much  solicited  by  his  countrymen; 
who  found  in  his  research  and  intelligence  resources  which 
were  highly  serviceable  to  them.  In  consequence,  he  made 
many,  and  valuable  friends,  who,  on  his  return  home,  kept  up 
his  importance  in  England  as  they  had  done  on  the  Continent. 
Some  of  his  best  busts  were  executed  at  Rome ;  the  only  one 
known  of  Sterne,  and  a  very  fine  one  of  Gar  rick,  both  for- 
merly in  the  possession  of  the  late  Lord  Yarborough  (who 
had  the  largest  collection  existing  of  Mr.  Nollekens'  works), 
and  above  all,  the  justly  celebrated  head  of  Mr.  Stephen  Fox 
when  an  old  man,  in  the  possession  of  Lord  Holland,  are 
specimens  of  his  ability  at  that  period  of  his  life.  It  may  be 
doubted  whether  Mr.  Nollekens  ever  excelled  the  last-men- 
tioned work.  And  yet  at  that  time  his  price  for  a  bust  was 
only  twelve  guineas ;  although  it  was  afterwards  gradually 
increased  to  a  hundred. 

There  are  some  stories  told  of  Mr.  Nollekens  and  of  Barry 
the  painter,  who  was  at  Rome  with  him,  which  seem  to  imply 
that,  although  his  good  sense  restrained  the  former  from 


JOSEPH    NOLLEKENS,    ESQ.  1?9 

availing  himself  to  excess  of  the  means  of  indulgence  then 
placed  within  his  reach,  his  moderation  was  not  occasioned 
by  any  change  in  his  early  inclinations;  and  was  therefore 
the  more  creditable  to  him. 

Mr.  Nollekens,  who  had  taken  out  with  him  to  Italy  only 
about  two  hundred  pounds,  brought  back  above  sixteen  hun- 
dred. Soon  after  his  arrival  in  England  (which  was  on 
Christmas  Eve,  1 770),  he  married  the  youngest  daughter  of 
Mr.  Justice  Welch,  with  whom  he  received  a  very  handsome 
portion.  Mr.  Justice  Welch  is  frequently  mentioned  in 
BoswelPs  "  Life  of  Dr.  Johnson."  The  great  moralist,  it  is 
even  said,  felt  a  tender  attachment  for  this  very  lady ;  who 
had  the  reputation  of  being  a  blue-stocking,  and  was  a  kind 
of  toast  among  the  literary  men  of  her  era.  Mr.  Nollekens 
now  took  up  his  abode  in  Mortimer- street,  Cavendish  Square, 
and  speedily  acquired  the  celebrity  and  employment  to  which 
his  pre-eminent  merit,  as  compared  with  the  sculptors  of  that 
day,  justly  entitled  him-  For  a  long  series  of  years,  he  was 
most  extensively  and  liberally  patronized,  particularly  by 
his  late  Majesty,  with  whom  he  was  a  great  favourite ;  a  cir- 
cumstance highly  to  his  honour,  for  no  man  was  a  sounder 
judge  of  character  than  George  the  Third. 

The  chisel  of  Mr.  Nollekens  was  chiefly  distinguished  by 
its  careful  and  accurate  imitation  of  nature,  and  by  the  total 
absence  of  that  peculiarity  of  style  called  manner.  Although 
he  must  always  have  borne  strongly  in  remembrance  the 
choicest  relics  of  Greek  sculpture,  and  had  himself  made 
drawings  of  all  the  most  celebrated  antique  statues  both  at 
home  and  abroad,  they  seem  to  have  had  little  influence  in 
the  formation  of  his  taste.  His  "  Venus  with  the  Sandal," 
upon  which  he  was  employed  at  intervals  for  above  twenty 
years,  is  esteemed  his  chef-d'oeuvre.  His  monument  to  Mrs. 
Howard  is  also  a  very  fine  piece  of  sculpture.  But  it  seems 
to  be  generally  admitted  that  his  professional  reputation  must 
principally  rest  on  his  busts.  They  qannot  be  surpassed  for 
correctness ;  and  the  country  is  indebted  to  him  for  the  per- 

N  2 


180  JOSEPH    NOLLEKENS^ESQ. 

petuation  of  the  features  of  many  men  of  whom  England  will 
be  for  ever  proud. 

It  was  probably  owing  to  the  deficiencies  of  his  education, 
and  to  the  force  of  early  habits,  that  Mr.  Nollekens  could 
never  boast  of  much  refinement  in  manners.  On  the  con- 
trary, indeed,  although  he  was  very  much  respected  by  all 
who  were  on  intimate  terms  with  him,  the  simplicity  of  his 
deportment,  and  the  total  absence  of  any  attention  to  the 
ordinary  usages  of  polished  life,  afforded  them  frequent  subjects 
of  amusement.  As  a  specimen  of  his  naivete,  it  is  related  of 
him,  that,  in  spite  of  the  previous  admonition  of  his  friends, 
he  would  go  up  to  his  present  Majesty,  when  Prince  of 
Wales,  take  him  familiarly  by  the  button,  like  an  every-day 
acquaintance,  ask  him  "how  his  father  did,"  and  express 
pleasure  at  hearing  the  King  was  well ;  adding,  "  Aye, 
aye  I  when  he's  gone,  we  shall  never  get  such  another." 
Once  when  his  late  Majesty  was  sitting  to  him  for  a  bust,  he 
fairly  stuck  one  point  of  a  pair  of  compasses  in  the  King's 
nose,  in  ascertaining  the  distance  between  that  and  the  upper 
lip.  His  Majesty,  with  his  accustomed  good  nature,  laughed 
heartily  at  meeting  with  a  person  apparently  insensible  of 
the  interval  which  separated  a  monarch  from  the  rest  of 
the  world.  As  for  Mr.  Nollekens,  he  handled  kings  and 
noblemen  as  if  they  were  common  folks ;  and  had  no  other 
notion  but  that  it  was  his  business,  when  employed  upon 
a  bust,  to  set  about  it  in  the  regular  way,  and  to  make 
the  best  thing  of  it  that  he  possibly  could ;  conceiving  that 
one  man's  head  differed  from  another's  only  as  it  was  a  better 
or  a  worse  subject  for  modelling.  There  was  something  in 
this  plainness  and  simplicity  that  savoured  perhaps  of  the 
hardness  and  dryness  of  his  art,  and  of  his  own  peculiar 
severity  of  execution;  for  Mr.  Nollekens  was  no  flatterer. 
Strict  truth  was  always  his  aim.  An  old  friend  and  brother- 
artist,  not  long  before  his  death,  was  complimenting  him  on 
his  acknowledged  superiority  when  he  was  in  his  prime. 
—  "  You  made  the  best  busts  of  any  body."  "  I  don't  know 


JOSEPH    NOLLEKENS,    ESQ.  181 

about  that,"  said  the  veteran  artist,  his  eyes  (though  their  orbs 
were  nearly  quenched)  beaming  with  smothered  delight; 
"  I  only  know,  I  always  tried  to  make  them  as  like  as  I 
could." 

It  is  frequently  forgotten  by  those  who  ought  to  know 
better,  that  no  man  is  equal  to  all  things ;  and  that  he  whose 
attention  has  been  enthusiastically  devoted  to  one  pursuit,  must, 
in  many  cases,  be  comparatively  ignorant  of  every  other.  Such 
persons  would  have  found  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  merri- 
ment in  the  difficulty  which  Mr.  Nollekens  generally  ex- 
perienced to  express  in  adequate  language  that  which  he  was 
nevertheless  as  capable  of  feeling  as  any  one.  Among  many 
instances  of  this  nature  which  occurred  to  him,  it  is  said  that 
when,  in  his  youth,  he  was  called  into  the  room  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Arts,  and  asked  by  some  of  the  members,  who  were 
very  much  charmed  with  the  sentiment  which  he  had  com- 
municated to  his  group  of  "  The  Visit  of  the  Angels  to 
Abraham,"  to  describe  his  idea  of  the  reception  which  the 
venerable  Patriarch  had  probably  given  to  his  celestial 
guests,  his  discomposing  answer  was,  — "  How  d'ye  do  ? 
how  d'ye  do  ?" 

His  severe  experience  in  early  life  of  the  value  of  money, 
rendered  Mr.  Nollekens  somewhat  too  careful  of  it  for  the 
rest  of  his  days.  It  was  customary  with  him  many  years 
ago,  when  in  full  practice,  to  send  the  models  of  his  heads  to 
Rome,  where  the  marble  busts  were  rudely  prepared  from 
them  by  some  inferior  artist,  and  transmitted  to  Mr.  Nolle- 
kins  to  be  finished.  By  this  means,  the  heavy  duty  on  the 
importation  of  the  unwrought  material  was  avoided. 

In  private  life,  also,  Mr.  Nollekens  was  considered  penu- 
rious. It  frequently  happens,  however,  that  parsimony  in 
trifling  matters  is  found  to  be  perfectly  compatible  with  ge- 
nerosity in  things  of  moment.  It  was  so  in  a  great  degree 
with  Mr.  Nollekens.  While  he  would  hesitate  to  give  half  a 
crown  to  the  servant  who  had  brought  him  a  haunch  of 
venison  from  his  friend  the  late  Lord  Yarborough,  he  would 
not  scruple  to  put  five  pounds  into  the  hand  of  any  distressed 

N  3 


18-2  JOSEPH    NOLLEKENS,    ESQ.. 

applicant  whom  he  ^thought  deserving  of  relief.  Numerous 
examples  might  be  adduced  of  his  liberality  in  this  respect. 
He  had  formerly  an  uncle,  who  lived  in  France,  to  whom  he 
allowed  thirty  pounds  per  annum ;  and  at  various  times  he 
admitted  regular  pensioners  on  his  bounty.  The  following- 
anecdotes  afford  further,  and  very  pleasing  proofs  of  the  real 
kindness  of  his  disposition. 

A  Mr.  R- •,  formerly   well  known  as  the   publisher  of 

some  valuable  antiquarian  works,  was  for  many  years  in 
habits  of  intimacy  with  Mr.  Nollekens.  One  day  he  called 
at  Mr*  N.'s  studio,  arid  appearing  much  depressed,  Mr. 
Nollekens  asked  him  what  was  the  matter.  He  complained 
of  faintness,  and  extremely  low  spirits ;  on  which  Nollekens 
said,  "  Go  to  the  pump,  and  get  a  glass  of  cold  water."  The 
poor  fellow  turned  away,  with  the  big  tear  standing  in  his  eye, 
at  such  apparently  unfeeling  advice.  This  silent  reproach, 
though  unobserved  by  Nollekens,  was  noticed  by  Mr.  Smith, 
(the  father  of  the  present  keeper  of  the  prints  in  the  British 
Museum,)  who  was  at  the  time  Mr.  Nollekens'  principal  as- 
sistant. Immediately  after  the  retirement  of  Mr.  R , 

Mr.  Smith  told  Mr.  Nollekens  that  he  had  unnecessarily 
wounded  the  feelings  of  a  distressed  man.  Nollekens,  who 
had  really  recommended  the  cold  water  as  the  best  remedy 
for  low  spirits,  because  it  was  that  to  which  he  himself  con- 
stantly had  recourse,  was  shocked  to  think  that  he  could  have 
been  so  misunderstood ;  and  went  directly  to  the  house  of 

Mr.  R ,  whom  he  found,  no  doubt,  indulging  in   bitter 

reflections  on  his  old  crony's  unkindness.  "  Tell  me  what's 
the  matter,"  said  Nollekens ;  "  I  recommended  cold  water  to 
you  not  from  indifference,  but  as  the  best  advice  I  could  give 
you.  Tell  me,  as  a  friend,  the  cause  of  your  affliction." 

R immediately  laid  open  his  situation  ;   and  it  appeared 

that  he  had  outlived  the  demand  for  his  works,  and  that  his 
circumstances  would  compel  him  to  quit  a  house  in  which  he 
had  resided  for  thirty  years,  and  in  which  he  had  hoped  to 
die.  Nollekens  urged  the  propriety  of  his  giving  up  the 
house,  and  retiring  to  cheap  lodgings.  This  advice  increased 


JOSEPH    NOLLEKENS,    ESQ.  183 

Mr.  R 's  distress;  which  Noliekens  perceiving,  thus  closed 

the  conversation:  —  "Well,  well;  remain  in  the  house; 
keep  your  old  study,  and  what  other  rooms  you  want;  let  out 
the  rest ;  and  here,  —  take  this,"  giving  him  twenty  guineas 
twisted  up  in  a  paper,  and  evidently  prepared  for  the  purpose; 
"  and  mind,  I  will  send  you  the  same  sum  every  year,  while 
you  live."  —  Mr.  Noliekens  kept  his  word. 

Upon  the  establishment  of  the  Artists'  Benevolent  Fund, 
Mr.  Turner,  the  Royal  Academician,  who  was  the  chair- 
man of  the  committee  appointed  to  forward  the  object  of 
the  institution,  called  on  Mr.  Noliekens,  and  asked  for 
his  support;  Noliekens  hesitated.  "  Why  'tis  but  a  gui- 
nea," said  Mr.  Turner;  "  that  is  not  much,  surely."  — 
"  Much  !  —  no.  —  Of  what  use  is  a  guinea  ?  —  Here,  —  take 
thirty." 

Such  instances  of  genuine  warm-heartedness  are  enough  to 
balance  a  thousand  oddities  of  character. 

Of  Mr.  Noliekens'  personal  appearance  towards  the  close 
of  life,  the  following  striking  portrait  has  been  sketched  by 
the  author  of  "  Table  Talk ;"  from  which  we  have  borrowed 
several  of  the  foregoing  anecdotes  and  remarks :  — 

"  I  saw  this  eminent  and  singular  person  one  morning  in 
Mr.  Northcote's  painting-room.  He  had  then  been  for  some 
time  nearly  blind,  and  had  been  obliged  to  lay  aside  the  exer- 
cise of  his  profession ;  but  he  still  took  a  pleasure  in  de- 
signing groups,  and  in  giving  directions  to  others  for 
executing  them.  He  sat  down  on  a  low  stool  (from  being 
rather  fatigued) ;  rested  .with  both  hands  on  a  stick,  as  if  he 
clung  to  the  solid  and  tangible ;  had  an  habitual  twitch  in 
his  limbs  and  motions,  as  if  catching  himself  in  the  act  of 
going  too  far  in  chiselling  a  lip,  or  a  dimple  in  a  chin ;  was 
bolt-upright,  with  features  hard  and  square,  but  finely  cut;  a 
hooked  nose,  thin  lips,  an  indented  forehead,  and  the 
defect  in  his  sight,  completed  the  resemblance  to  one  of  his 
own  masterly  busts.  He  seemed  by  time  and  labour  to 
'  have  wrought  himself  to  stone.'" 

N    4 


184  JOSEPH    NOLLEKENS,    ESQ. 

Few  artists  indeed  have  ever  laboured  with  more  per- 
severing assiduity  than  Mr.  Nollekens.  He  continued  to 
do  so  until  one  morning  in  February,  1819;  when,  while 
sitting  at  breakfast,  he  received  a  violent  paralytic  stroke, 
which  for  a  time  deprived  him  of  speech,  and  of  the  use  of 
his  left  hand.  Having  recovered  a  little  from  the  effects 
of  this  attack,  he  dabbled  on  until  about  two  years  before 
his  death,  when,  in  consequence  of  his  increasing  infirmities, 
and  of  his  almost  total  loss  of  sight,  he  became  incapable  of 
any  further  personal  exertion.  On  the  23d  of  April,  1823, 
at  about  half-past  one  o'clock  he  expired ;  being  then  in  the 
86th  year  of  his  age.  He  had  been  much  convulsed  during 
the  night;  but  breathed  his  last  tranquilly,  and  in  full  pos- 
session of  his  senses. 

Mrs.  Nollekens  died  in  1817;  leaving  no  family. 

When  some  alchemist,  who  pretended  that  he  had  dis- 
covered the  philosopher's  stone,  offered  to  disclose  his  secret 
to  Rubens,  that  great  ai'tist  laughingly  told  him  he  needed  it 
not,  for  that  his  pencil  had  long  acquired  the  power  of 
converting  every  thing  it  touched  into  gold.  Mr.  Nollekens 
chisel  seems  to  have  had  a  similar  property.  It  is  probable 
that  no  artist  ever  amassed  so  much  wealth.  At  the  time  of 
his  decease,  exaggerated  accounts  were  circulated  with  re- 
spect to  its  amount ;  his  will  being  proved,  however,  it  was 
sworn  by  the  executors,  Sir  William  Beechey,  John  Thomas 
Smith,  Esq.,  and  Francis  Douce,  Esq.,  to  be  under  two  hun- 
dred thousand  pounds.  It  was  also  rumoured  that  he  hud 
bequeathed  fifty  thousand  pounds  to  his  Majesty ;  a  report 
entirely  destitute  of  foundation.  We  fear  that  there  is  truth 
in  another  statement ;  namely,  that  he  did  not  make  a  suf- 
ficient provision  for  several  individuals  whose  long  services 
entitled  them  to  his  grateful  protection ;  but  this  is  an  omis- 
sion that  may  easily  be  remedied,  and  that  ought  to  be  so. 
The  legacies  by  his  will,  (some  of  which  are  to  public  cha- 
rities, and  others  of  which,  as  one  to  Mr.  West,  another  to 
Mr.  Cosway,  &c.  are  lapsed,)  do  not  exceed  nine  thousand 


JOSEPH    NOLLEKENS,    ESQ.  185 

pounds  iii  amount.   The  residuary  legatees  are  Francis  Douce, 

Esq.,  Francis  Russell  Palmer,  Esq.,  and  the  Rev. 

Herrick. 

Mr.  Nollekens  was  elected  an  Associate  of  the  Royal 
Academy  of  London  on  the  27th  of  August,  1771  ;  and  a 
Royal  Academician  on  the  1st  of  Feb.  1772. 


186 


No.  X. 


EDWARD  JENNER,  ESQ.  M.D.  LL.D.  F.R.S.  M.V.I.F. 

A      PHYSICIAN       EXTRAORDINARY     TO      THE      KING;      AND      A 
MAGISTRATE    OF   THE  COUNTY  OF  GLOUCESTER. 

J  F  the  Romans  considered  that  man  worthy  of  a  statue  who 
by  his  exertions  rescued  a  single  citizen  from  the  grave ;  what 
honours  are  too  great  for  the  memory  of  him,  who,  by  the 
happiest  discovery,  and  the  most  liberal  communication  of  it 
to  the  public,  has  saved  the  lives  of  millions  ?  Such  is  the 
service  that  has  been'  rendered  to  mankind  by  our  illustrious 
countryman,  Edward  Jenner :  and,  though  he  did  not  receive 
those  high  distinctions  to  which  his  merits  had  a  fair  claim, 
his  name  is  ennobled  by  the  admiration  of  the  world,  and  it 
will  be  held  in  reverence  to  the  remotest  ages. 

Dr.  Jenner  was  born  May  17th,  1749,  at  Berkeley  in 
Gloucestershire.  He  was  the  youngest  son  of  the  Reverend 
Stephen  Jenner,  A.M.,  of  the  University  of  Oxford,  Rector 
of  Rockhampton,  and  Vicar  of  Berkeley.  Independent  of 
church  preferment  his  father  was  possessed  of  considerable 
landed  property.  Dr.  Jenner's  mother  was  the  daughter  of 
the  Reverend  Henry  Kead,  of  an  ancient  and  respectable 
family  in  Berkshire,  who  also  once  held  the  living  of  Berke- 
ley, and  was  at  the  same  time  a  Prebendary  of  Bristol. 

The  family  of  Jenner,  which  is  of  ancient  standing  in 
Gloucestershire  and  the  adjacent  county  of  Worcester,  has 
produced  several  men  of  eminence ;  among  whom  was  Dr. 
Thomas  Jenner,  the  immediate  predecessor  of  the  pious  Dr. 
George  Home,  in  the  Presidentship  of  Magdalen  College, 
Oxford.  Dr.  Jenner's  father  had  been  tutor  to  the  old  Earl 


DR.  JENNER.  187 

of  Berkeley ;  who  gave  him  the  valuable  vicarage  which  he 
held  till  his  death  :  and  the  whole  of  that  noble  house,  parti- 
cularly the  late  lord,  and  his  brother  the  admiral,  ever  re- 
tained the  warmest  attachment  to  him  and  his  family. 

Dr.  Jenner  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  father  at  a  very 
early  period  of  life;  but  this  loss,  which  too  frequently  prevents 
the  proper  cultivation  of  the  mental  faculties,  was  fortunately 
supplied  by  the  affectionate  and  well-directed  attention  of  his 
eldest  brother,  the  Reverend  Stephen  Jenner,  who  brought 
him  up  with  a  tenderness  truly  parental.  He  had  another 
brother,  the  Reverend  Henry  Jenner,  many  years  domestic 
chaplain  to  the  Earl  of  Aylesbury,  and  Vicar  of  Great  Bed- 
win,  Wilts ;  father  of  the  Rev.  George  Jenner,  and  of  Mr. 
Henry  Jenner,  surgeon  of  $erkeley,  whose  names  so  frequently 
appear  in  the  history  of  Vaccine  Inoculation. 

When  he  was  about  eight  years  of  age,  he  went  to  a  school 
at  Cirencester,  where  he  remained  only  half  a  year.  He  was 
then  consigned  to  the  tuition  of  the  Rev.  —  Clissold,  at  Wot- 
ton  Underedge ;  by  whom  he  was  well  grounded  in  classical 
knowledge.  While  here  he  became  fond  of  natural  history, 
and  especially  directed  his  attention  to  the  dormouse,  of  the 
nests  of  which  animal  he  made  a  large  collection. 

After  leaving  school,  which'  was  about  the  thirteenth  year 
of  his  age,  Dr.  Jenner  was  placed  under  the  care  of  the  Mes- 
sieurs Ludlow,  then  eminent  practitioners  at  Sodbury,  near 
Bristol;  where  he  remained  six  years. 

On  the  expiration  of  his  articles,  Dr.  Jenner  repaired  to  the 
metropolis,  and  became  a  pupil  of  St.  George's  Hospital,  under 
the  immediate  care  of  the  late  John  Hunter ;  with  whom  he 
lived  two  years  as  a  house  pupil,  and  with  whom  and  for  whom 
he  laboured  in  the  formation  of  that  stupendous  monument 
of  anatomical  and  physiological  industry,  the  Hunterian 
Museum.  In  liberal  minds  a  congeniality  of  talent  and  pur- 
suit lays  the  foundation  of  sincere  and  lasting  friendship.  The 
truth  of  this  observation  was  fully  exemplified  by  the  intimacy 
which  ever  after  subsisted  between  the  celebrated  preceptor 
and  his  no  less  celebrated  pupil. 


188  DR.  JENNER. 

Such  was  the  estimation  in  which  Dr.  Jenner's  talents  were  at 
that  time  held  by  Mr.  Hunter,  that  he  offered  him  a  partner- 
ship in  his  profession,  which  was  very  valuable.  Mr.  Hunter 
was  desirous  of  extending  his  lectures  on  anatomy  and  sur- 
gery to  subjects  of  natural  history,  and  justly  appreciating  the 
abilities  of  his  pupil  Jenner,  and  the  ardour  and  perseverance 
of  his  inquiries  into  those  subjects,  he  was  desirous  of  ob- 
taining his  co-operation.  So  attached,  however,  was  Dr. 
Jenner  to  a  country  life,  to  his  native  place,  and  above  all,  to 
the  excellent  brother  whom,  from  difference  of  years  and  the 
decease  of  his  father,  he  regarded  rather  filially  than  frater- 
nally, that  he  declined  the  flattering  proposal. 

When  a  second  voyage  of  discovery  to  the  South  Seas  was 
projected,  Dr.  Jenner,  who  had  materially  assisted  Sir  Joseph 
Banks  in  forming  a  scientific  arrangement  of  the  curiosities 
and  natural  productions  which  he  had  brought  from  that  part 
of  the  world,  was  solicited,  but  in  vain,  to  become  one  of  the 
literary  associates  in  that  enterprize. 

Soon  after,  another  invitation  of  the  most  advantageous  de- 
scription was  made  to  him  on  the  part  of  the  late  Warren  Hast- 
ings, Esq.,  to  go  out  in  a  medical  capacity  to  Bengal;  but  neither 
could  this  alluring  prospect  tempt  him  to  leave  the  land  of 
his  fathers.  So  strong  indeed  was  the  influence  of  the  patria 
et  natale  solum,  that  to  the  day  of  his  death  he  could  never 
endure  to  reside  for  any  length  of  time  at  any  great  distance 
from  the  place  of  his  birth. 

After  finishing  his  studies  in  London,  therefore,  Dr.  Jenner 
settled  at  Berkeley;  and  soon  obtained  practice  to  a  great 
extent.  Among  other  occurrences  which  considerably  ex- 
tended his  reputation  as  a  skilful  surgeon,  was  the  complete 
success  of  a  very  difficult  and  delicate  operation  which  he 
performed  in  the  Gloucester  Infirmary,  on  a  person  suffering 
under  a  strangulated  hernia. 

In  his  leisure  hours  Dr.  Jenner  laid  the  foundation  at 
Berkeley  of  a  Museum  of  Natural  History  and  Comparative 
Anatomy,  which  attracted  very  general  notice.  Being  fond 
of  ornithology,  he  entered  into  some  very  curious  investi- 


DR.  JENNER.  189 

gations  with  respect  to  the  habits  of  the  cuckoo.  The 
economy  of  that  singular  bird  had  never  been  accurately  as- 
certained, even  by  those  inquisitive  and  diligent  naturalists, 
Willoughby  and  Ray,  who  may  be  said  to  have  made  the 
study  of  animal  life,  in  all  its  varieties,  their  undivided  object. 
The  result  of  Dr.  Jenner's  inquiries  was  printed  in  the  Phi- 
losophical Transactions  for  1788,  and  copied  thence  into 
various  periodical  journals,  English  and  foreign.  As  this 
paper  is  extremely  curious  and  interesting,  an  abstract  of  it 
may  be  agreeable  to  the  reader. 

The  author  observes,  that  during  the  time  the  hedge-spar- 
row is  laying  her  eggs,  the  cuckoo  contrives  to  deposit  her 
single  one  among  the  number,  and  there  leaves  it  to  the  care 
of  the  owner  of  the  nest.  This  intrusion  often  occasions 
some  discomposure ;  for  the  old  sparrow,  while  sitting,  not 
only  throws  out  some  of  her  own  eggs,  but  sometimes  injures 
those  which  remain,  in  such  a  way,  that  they  become  addle, 
so  that  it  frequently  happens  that  not  more  than  two  or  three 
of  the  parent  bird's  are  hatched;  but  what  is  very  remarkable, 
it  has  never  been  known  that  the  sparrow  has  either  thrown 
out  or  injured  the  egg  of  the  cuckoo.  When  the  sparrow  has 
sat  her  usual  time,  and  disengaged  the  young  cuckoo,  as  well 
as  her  own  offspring,  from  the  shell,  her  young  ones,  and  any 
of  the  eggs  that  remain  unhatched,  are  soon  turned  out ;  the 
young  intruder  remaining  in  full. possession  of  the  nest,  and 
becoming  the  sole  object  of  the  future  care  of  the  foster  pa- 
rent. The  young  birds  are  not  previously  killed,  nor  the 
eggs  demolished,  but  they  are  left  to  perish  together,  either 
in  the  bush  which  contains  the  nest,  or  lying  on  the  ground 
underneath.  This  seemingly  unnatural  circumstance  struck 
Dr.  Jenner  very  forcibly,  and  induced  him  to  make  it  the 
particular  point  of  investigation. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  1787,  he  examined  the  nest  of  a 
hedge-sparrow,  which  then  contained  a  cuckoo's  and  three 
native  eggs.  On  inspecting  it  the  following  day,  the  bird 
had  hatched;  but  the  nest  then  contained  only  a  young 
cuckoo,  and  one  hedge-sparrow.  The  nest  was  placed  so 


190  DR.  .TENNER. 

near  the  extremity  of  a  hedge  that  Dr.  Jenner  could  distinctly 
see  what  was  going  forward  in  it;  and,  to  his  great  astonish- 
ment, he  perceived  the  young  cuckoo,  though  so  lately 
hatched,  employed  in  the  very  act  of  turning  out  its  com- 
panion. The  mode  of  accomplishing  this  was  very  extra- 
ordinary :  the  little  animal,  with  the  assistance  of  its  rump  and 
wings,  contrived  to  get  the  bird  upon  its  back,  and  making  a 
lodgment  for  its  burden  by  elevating  its  elbows,  clambered 
backwards  with  it  up  the  side  of  the  nest,  till  it  reached  the 
top,  where,  resting  for  a  moment,  it  threw  off'  its  load  with  a 
jerk,  and  quite  disengaged  it  from  the  nest.  After  remaining 
a  short  time  in  this  situation,  and  feeling  about  with  the  ex- 
tremities of  its  wings,  as  if  to  be  convinced  that  the  business 
was  properly  executed,  it  dropped  into  the  nest  again.  Dr. 
Jenner  made  several  experiments  of  a  similar  kind  in  different 
nests,  by  repeatedly  putting  m  an  egg  to  the  young  cuckoo, 
which  the  bird  always  disposed  of  in  the  same  manner.  It 
is  very  remarkable  that  nature  seems  to  have  provided  for 
the  singular  disposition  of  the  cuckoo  in  its  formation  at  this 
period  of  its  early  life  ;  for,  different  from  other  newly  hatched 
birds,  its  back,  all  along  between  the  scapula  and  the  rump, 
is  very  broad,  with  a  considerable  depression  in  the  middle, 
which  appears  as  if  intended  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  more 
secure  lodgment  to  the  young  hedge-sparrow,  or  the  egg,  while 
the  young  cuckoo  is  engaged  in  removing  either  of  them  from 
the  nest.  When  the  animal  is  above  twelve  days  old,  this 
cavity  is  quite  filled  up,  the  back  assumes  the  shape  of  that 
of  nestling  birds  in  general,  and  at  that  time  the  disposition 
for  turning  out  its  companion  entirely  ceases.  The  smallness 
of  the  cuckoo's  egg,  which  in  general  is  less  than  that  of  the 
sparrow,  is  another  circumstance  to  be  attended  to  in  this 
surprising  transaction,  and  seems  to  account  for  the  parent 
cuckoo's  depositing  it  in  the  nests  of  small  birds  only,  for  if 
she  were  to  do  this  in  the  nest  of  one  that  produced  a  larger 
egg,  and  consequently  a  larger  nestling,  the  design  would 
probably  be  frustrated ;  the  young  cuckoo  would  be  unequal 


DR.  JENNEK.  191 

to  the  task  of  becoming  sole  possessor  of  the  nest,  and  might 
fall  a  sacrifice  to  the  superior  strength  of  its  partners. 

It  sometimes  happens,  that  two  cuckoo's  eggs  are  deposited 
in  the  same  nest ;  and  then  a  remarkable  dispute  arises,  which 
our  intelligent  observer  thus  describes: — "June  17.  1 787,  two 
cuckoos  and  a  hedge-sparrow  were  hatched  in  the  same  nest, 
and  one  hedge-sparrow's  egg  remained  unhatched.  In  a  few 
hours  after,  a  contest  began  between  the  young  cuckoos  for 
the  possession  of  the  nest,  which  continued  undetermined  till 
the  next  afternoon ;  when  one  of  them,  which  was  somewhat 
superior  in  size,  turned  out  the  other,  together  with  the  young 
hedge-sparrow,  and  the  unhatched  egg.  This  contest  was 
very  remarkable;  the  combatants  alternately  appeared  to 
have  the  advantage,  as  each  carried  the  other  several  times 
nearly  to  the  top  of  the  nest,  and  then  sunk  down  again,  op- 
pressed by  the  weight  of  its  burden ;  till  at  length,  after  va- 
rious efforts,  the  stronger  prevailed,  and  was  afterwards 
brought  up  by  the  hedge-sparrows." 

"  I  come  now,"  says  Dr.  Jenner,  "  to  consider  the  princi- 
pal matter  that  has  agitated  the  mind  of  the  naturalist  respect- 
ing the  cuckoo ;  why,  like  other  birds,  it  should  not  build  a 
nest,  incubate  its  eggs,  and  rear  its  own  young  ?  There  is 
certainly  no  reason  to  be  assigned  from  the  formation  of  this 
bird,  why  it  should  not  perform  these  offices ;  for  it  is  in 
every  respect  perfectly  formed  for  collecting  materials  and 
building  a  nest.  Neither  its  external  shape,  nor  internal 
structure,  prevents  it  from,  incubation  ;  nor  is  it  incapable  of 
bringing  food  to  its  young."  Having  adduced  instances 
of  eggs  being  actually  hatched  under  cuckoos,  our  author 
proceeds  to  examine  the  cause  of  the  singularities  in  this  bird. 
"  May  they  not,"  says  he,  "be  owing  to  the  short  residence  the 
cuckoo  is  allowed  to  make  in  the  country  where  it  is  destined 
to  propagate  its  species,  and  the  call  that  nature  has  upon  it, 
during  that  short  residence,  to  produce  a  numerous  progeny  ? 
The  cuckoo's  first  appearance  is  about  the  middlesof  April; 
its  egg  is  not  ready  for  incubation  before  the  middle  of  May  ; 
a  fortnight  is  taken  up  by  the  sitting  bird  in  hatching  the  egg ; 


192  DR.  JENNER. 

the  young  animal  generally  continues  three  weeks  in  the  nest 
before  it  flies,  and  the  foster  parents  feed  it  five  weeks  more 
after  this  period  :  so  that  if  a  cuckoo  should  be  ready  with  an 
egg  much  sooner  than  the  time  already  mentioned,  not  a 
single  nestling  would  be  fit  to  provide  for  itself  before  the 
parent  would  be  instinctively  directed  to  seek  a  new  residence ; 
for  old  cuckoos  take  their  final  leave  of  this  country  the  first 
week  in  July." 

There  seems  to  be  no  precise  time  fixed  for  the  departure 
of  young  cuckoos.  "  I  believe  (says  Dr.  Jenner)  that  they  go 
off  in  succession,  probably  as  soon  they  are  capable  of  taking 
care  of  themselves ;  for  although  they  stay  here  till  they  be- 
come nearly  equal  in  size  and  growth  of  plumage  to  the  old 
cuckoo,  yet  in  this  very  state  the  fostering  care  of  the  hedge- 
sparrow  is  not  withdrawn  from  them.  I  have  frequently  seen 
the  young  cuckoo  of  such  a  size  that  the  hedge-sparrow  has 
perched  on  its  back,  or  half  expanded  wing,  in  order  to  gain 
sufficient  elevation  t©  put  the  food  into  its  mouth.  At  this 
advanced  stage,  I  believe  that  young  cuckoos  procure  some 
food  for  themselves,  like  the  young  rook,  for  instance,  which 
in  part  feeds  itself,  and  is  partly  fed  by  the  old  ones  till  the 
approach  of  the  pairing  season.  If  they  did  not  go  off  in  suc- 
cession, it  is  probable  we  should  see  them  in  large  numbers 
by  the  middle  of  August ;  for  as  they  are  to  be  found  in  great 
plenty,  when  in  a  nestling  state,  they  must  now  appear  very 
numerous,  since  all  of  them  must  have  quitted  the  nest  before 
this  time.  But  this  is  not  the  case ;  for  they  are  not  more 
numerous  at  any  season  than  the  parent  birds  are  in  the  months 
of  May  and  June." 

These  observations  shew  the  minute  attention  paid  by  Dr. 
Jenner  to  the  system  of  nature,  and  his  keenness  in  discovering 
the  adaptation  of  the  animal  structure  to  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances in  which  it  is  placed. 

Soon  after  the  publication  of  this  interesting  paper,  Dr. 
Jenner,  who  had  long  been  known  as  an  ornithologist,  was 
elected  a  fellow  of  the  Royal  Society. 


DR.  JENNER.     * 

In  the  same  year,  1788,  he  married  Miss  Catharine  King- 
scote,  of  the  very  ancient  and  respectable  family  of  Kingscote, 
of  Kingscote,  in  the  county  of  Gloucester ;  by  whom  he  had 
three  children  ;  two  sons  and  a  daughter. 

After  continuing  a  successful  practice  for  some  years,  Dr. 
Jenner,  who  besides  his  professional  emoluments  was  in  pos- 
session of  a  patrimonial  inheritance,  in  1792  took  out  a 
diploma.  Thus  disengaged  from  surgery,  he  had  leisure  for 
the  pursuit  of  studies  more  congenial  to  his  mind.  Among 
other  discoveries  made  at  this  period  of  his  life,  was  a  mode 
of  producing  pure  emetic  tartar  by  a  new  and  easy  process, 
which  was  published  in  some  of  the  medical  journals  of  that 
day.  His  physiological  penetration  and  patient  application 
were  also  rewarded  by^  discovery  of  the  diseased  structure  of 
the  heart  which  occasions  the  fatal  complaint  called  the  angina 
pectoris ;  and  which  had  before  him  escaped  the  observation 
of  anatomists.  This  discovery  he  communicated  to  the  late 
Dr.  Parry,  of  Bath,  father  of  the  celebrated  navigator ;  and 
that  gentleman,  in  a  treatise  which  he  published  on  the  sub- 
ject, did  ample  justice  to  his  friend's  talents  and  liberality. 

About  this  time,  Dr.  Jenner  took  possession  of  a  house  in 
Berkeley,  called  Chauntry  Cottage,  from  its  having  been  once 
the  residence  of  the  chauntry  priests.  The  grounds  of  this 
commodious  and  elegant  little  mansion,  Dr.  Jenner's  taste 
enabled  him  highly  to  decorate  and  embellish. 

In  1794,  Dr.  Jenner  had  a  severe  attack  of  typhus,  and 
was  confined  to  his  house  by  debility  till  the  spring  of 
1795.  To  withdraw  himself  from  the  pressure  of  recurring 
business,  although  without  any  view  of  permanent  residence, 
he  removed  during  the  season  to  Cheltenham.  There,  how- 
ever, practice,  the  natural  result  of  his  high  medical  reputa- 
tation,  was  forced  upon  him. 

During  this  period  of  his  alternate  residence  at  Berkeley, 
and  at  Cheltenham,  when  Dr.  Jenner  was  yet  unburdened 
with  the  labour  which  vaccination  subsequently  imposed  upon 
him,  he  used  to  amuse  himself  with  extemporaneous  effusions 
in  poetry,  not  intended  for  the  press.  His  taste  usually  took 

VOL.  VIII.  O 


194  DR.  JENNER. 

an  epigrammatic  turn,  which,  however,  was  strictly  confined 
to  harmless  and  gentlemanly  facetiousness.  The  following, 
which  was  sent  to  a  lady  with  a  couple  of  ducks,  is  no  bad 
specimen  of  his  sportive  genius  :  — 

"  I've  dispatch'd,  my  dear  Madam,  this  scrap  of  a  letter, 
To  say  that  Miss  *****  is  very  much  better, 
A  regular  doctor  no  longer  she  lacks, 
And  therefore   I've  sent  her  a  couple  of  quacks." 

The  prejudice  in  favour  of  the  robin  redbreast  is  well  known. 
A  gentleman  of  the  name  of  Snell  had  written  some  verses 
on  the  popular  side  of  the  question.  Dr.  Jenner,  as  an  orni- 
thologist, knew  the  fallacy  of  the  prepossession,  and  sent  the 
robin's  advocate  this  humorous  reply :  — 

ADDRESS  TO  A  ROBIN; 

IN   ANSWER    TO    ONE    BY   CAPTAIN    SNELL. 

Audi  alterant  partem. 

^ 

"  Begone  this  instant  from  my  door ! 
Nor  plague  me  with  thy  canting  more. 
Hop  off !  I  say  ;  nor  in  this  place 
Dare  show  thy  hypocritic  face. 
Pray  dost  thou  think,  ungrateful  fellow, 
Because  thy  voice  is  somewhat  mellow, 
Or  that  thou  hither  comest  assuming 
A  kind  of  modesty  in  pluming, 
Thou  wilt  allure  me,  whining  beggar, 
Or  my  true  notions  of  thee  stagger  ? 

Have  I  not  seen  thee,  sturdy  ruffian, 
With  impious  claw  thy  father  cuffing? 
Seen  thee,  thou  vile  impostor,  blackguard, 
With  many  a  blow  thy  mother  smack  hard  ? 
Strip  from  her  back  the  downy  feather, 
Spite  of  inclemency  of  weather  ? 
Nay,  threaten  her  with  instant  killing, 
If  thy  full  platter  she  put  bill  in  ? 
Why  then,  how  darest  thou  thus  from  me 
To  ask  for  hospitality  ? 


DR.  JENNER. 

Disdainful  wretch  !    When  smiling  spring 

Bids  every  bird  tune  up  and  sing, 

Though  the  sweet  orchestra  should  want  ye 

To  take  a  part,  a  soft  andante, 

The  lark,  who  leads  the  band,  in  vain 

Solicits  thy  assisting  strain  ; 

For  slily  thou  leavest  all  their  chanting 

Deep  in  the  woods  to  go  gallanting. 

Long  have  I  known  thy  ready  knack  'tis, 

A  thousand  wily  tricks  to  practise. 

Didst  thou  not  use  deception  vile 

A  bard  *  to  cozen  and  beguile  ? 

Draw,  by  a  kind  of  hocus  pocus, 

His  rays  poetic  to  a  focus  ; 

Then  craftily  divert  the  flame 

To  blaze  uptfn  thy  worthless  name  ? 

Think'st  thou  I  know  not,  rogue  ungrateful ! 
Of  mischief  thou  hast  got  a  pateful  ? 
Do  qualms  of  conscience  ne'er  molest  thee  ? 
No  retrospective  thoughts  infest  thee  ? 
Hast  thou  not  entered  farmers'  houses, 
Annoying  oft  their  careful  spouses  ? 
Deform'd  their  butter,  peck'd  their  cheese, 
And  robb'd  them  of  their  market  fees  ? 
Though  ne'er  did  they  deny  thy  asking, 
(Villain  !  a  hypocritic  mask  in,) 
But  ever  ready  were  to  pour 
Around  thy  head  the  crumby  shower, 
And  pray,  another  thing,  —  but  'death  1 
Why  do  I  thus  consume  my  breath  ? 
Once  more,  I  say,  hop  off!  —  ho,  ho! 
'Tis  well  thou  thoughtst  it  time  to  go. 
And  this  I  tell  thee,  little  blade, 
If  ever  on  my  palisade 
Again  I  catch  thee,  —  by  the  law, 
Thy  grave  shall  be  grimalkin's  maw  !" 

We  now  come  to  the  most  important  period  of  Dr.  Jenner's 
life,  and  to  the  occurrence  of  circumstances  which,  strong  as 

*  dipt.  Snell. 

o  2 


196  DR.    JENNER. 

was  his  attachment  to  his  native  valley,  rendered  his  presence 
in  London  absolutely  necessary.  We  allude  to  his  happy 
discovery  of  Vaccine  Inoculation. 

Long  before  this  period,  as  far  back  indeed  as  the  year 
1775,  Dr.  Jenner  had  begun  to  investigate  the  nature  of  the 
cowpox.  His  attention  to  this  singular  disease  was  first  ex- 
cited by  observing,  that  among  those  whom  in  the  country  he 
was  frequently  called  upon  to  inoculate,  many  resisted  every 
effort  to  give  them  the  smallpox.  These  patients  he  found 
had  undergone  a  disorder  contracted  by  milking  cows  af- 
fected with  a  peculiar  eruption  on  their  teats.  On  enquiry,  it 
appeared  that  this  disease  had  been  known  among  the  dairies 
from  time  immemorial,  and  that  a  vague  opinion  prevailed  of 
its  being  a  preventive  of  the  smallpox.'  This  opinion,  how- 
ever, was  comparatively  new,  for  all  the  old  farmers  declared 
they  had  no  such  idea  in  their  early  days,  which  was  easily 
accounted  for,  as  the  common  people  were  rarely  inoculated 
for  the  smallpox,  till  the  practice  became  extended  by  the 
improved  method  of  the  Suttons ;  so  that  the  people  in  the 
dairies  were  seldom  put  to  the  test  of  the  preventive  powers 
of  the  cowpox.  In  the  course  of  his  investigating  this  subject 
Dr.  Jenner  found  that  some  of  those  who  seemed  to  have  un- 
dergone the  cowpox,  on  inoculation  with  variolous  matter,  felt 
its  influence  just  the  same  as  if  no  disease  had  been  communi- 
cated from  the  cow.  On  making  enquiries  on  the  subject 
among  the  medical  practitioners  in  his  neighbourhood,  they  all 
agreed  that  the  cowpox  was  not  to  be  relied  upon  as  a  pre- 
ventive of  the  smallpox.  This  for  a  while  damped,  but  did 
not  extinguish  his  ardour ;  for  as  he  proceeded,  he  had  the 
satisfaction  of  learning  that  the  cow  was  subject  to  some  va- 
rieties of  spontaneous  eruptions  upon  her  teats;  that  they 
were  all  capable  of  communicating  sores  to  the  hands  of  the 
milkers ;  and  that  whatever  sore  was  derived  from  the  animal, 
obtained  the  general  name  of  the  cowpox.  Thus  a  great  ob- 
stacle was  surmounted,  and  in  consequence  a  distinction  was 
discovered  between  the  true,  and  the  spurious  cowpox. 


DR.    JENNER.  197 

But  the  first  impediment  to  this  enquiry  had  not  been  long 
removed  before  another,  of  greater  magnitude,  started  up. 
There  were  not  wanting  instances  to  prove,  that  when  the  true 
cowpox  broke  out  among  the  cattle,  a  person  who  had  milked 
the  infected  animal,  and  had  thereby  apparently  gone  through 
the  disease  in  common  with  others,  was  yet  liable  to  receive 
the  smallpox.  This  gave  a  painful  check  to  the  fond  and  as- 
piring hopes  of  Jenner ;  till,  reflecting  that  the  operations  of 
nature  are  generally  uniform,  and  that  it  was  not  probable  the 
human  constitution,  after  undergoing  the  cowpox,  should  in 
some  instances  be  perfectly  shielded  from  the  smallpox,  and 
in  others  remain  unprotected,  he  determined  to  renew  his  la- 
borious investigation  of  the  subject.  The  result  was  fortunate : 
for  he  now  discerned  that  the  virus  of  cowpox  was  liable  to 
undergo  progressive  changes,  from  the  same  causes  precisely 
as  that  of  smallpox ;  and  that  when  applied  to  the  human 
skin  in  a  degenerated  state,  it  would  produce  the  ulcerative 
effects  in  as  great  a  degree  as  when  it  was  not  decomposed, 
and  even  sometimes  greater ;  but  that  when  its  specific  pro- 
perties were  lost,  it  was  incapable  of  producing  that  change 
upon  the  human  frame  which  is  requisite  to  render  it  unsus- 
ceptible of  the  variolous  contagion :  so  that  it  became  evident 
a  person  might  milk  a  cow  one  day,  and  having  caught  the  dis- 
ease, be  for  ever  secure ;  while  on  another  person,  milking  the 
same  cow  the  next  day,  the  virus  might  act  in  such  a  way,  as 
to  produce  sores,  and  yet  leave  the  constitution  unchanged 
and  therefore  unprotected. 

During  this  investigation  of  the  casual  cowpox,  as  received 
by  contact  with  the  animal,  our  enquirer  was  struck  with  the  idea 
that  it  might  be  practicable  to  propagate  the  disease  by  inoc- 
ulation, after  the  manner  of  the  smallpox,  first  from  the  cow, 
and  finally  from  one  human  being  to  another.  He  waited 
anxiously  some  time  for  an  opportunity  of  putting  this  theory 
to  the  test.  At  length  the  period  of  trial  arrived ;  and  on  the 
14?th  of  May,  1796,  the  first  experiment  was  made  upon  a 
lad  of  the  name  of  Phipps,  in  whose  arm  a  little  vaccine 
virus  was  inserted,  taken  from  the  hand  of  a  young  woman,  of 

o  3 


198  DR.    JENNER. 

the  name  of  Sarah  Nelmes,  who  had  been  accidentally  in- 
fected by  a  cow.  Notwithstanding  the  resemblance  which 
the  pustule,  thus  excited  in  the  boy's  arm,  bore  to  variolous 
inoculation,  yet  as  the  indisposition  attending  it  was  barely 
perceptible,  the  operator  could  scarcely  persuade  himself  that 
his  patient  was  secure  from  the  smallpox.  However,  on  the 
same  boy  being  inoculated  on  the  1  st  of  July  following  with 
smallpox  matter,  it  proved  that  he  was  perfectly  safe.  This 
case  inspired  confidence ;  and  as  soon  as  a  supply  of  proper 
virus  could  be  obtained  from  the  cow,  arrangements  were  made 
for  a  series  of  inoculations.  A  number  of  children  were  inoc- 
ulated in  succession,  one  from  the  other ;  and  after  several 
months  had  elapsed,  they  were  exposed  to  the  infection  of  the 
smallpox;  some  by  inoculation,  others  by  variolous  effluvia, 
and  some  in  both  ways,  but  they  all  resisted  it.  The  result  of 
these  trials  gradually  led  to  a  wider  field  of  experiment :  and 
when  at  length  it  was  satisfactorily  proved  that  the  inoculated 
cowpox  afforded  as  complete  a  security  against  the  smallpox 
as  the  variolous  inoculation  ;  the  author  of  the  discovery  made 
it  known  to  the  public,  without  either  disguise  or  ostentation. 
This  treatise,  entitled  "  An  Inquiry  into  the  Causes  and  Effects 
of  the  Variolae  Vaccinae,  a  disease  discovered  in  some  of  the 
•Western  Counties  of  England,  particularly  Gloucestershire, 
and  known  by  the  name  of  the  Cow  Pox,"  appeared  in  1798, 
in  a  small  quarto  of  seventy-five  pages. 

The  author  sets  out  with  observing,  that  the  deviation  of 
man  from  the  state  in  which  he  was  originally  placed  by  na- 
ture, seems  to  have  proved  to  him  a  prolific  source  of  dis- 
eases. From  a  variety  of  causes,  he  has  familiarized  him- 
self with  a  great  number  of  animals,  which  may  not  primarily 
have  been  intended  for  his  associates.  These  domesticated 
animals  do  not  always  affect  the  human  race  directly,  as  rabid 
ones  often  do ;  but  sometimes  they  affect  one  another  in  such 
a  manner,  that  the  modified  disease  becomes  capable  of  pro- 
ducing a  specific  action  on  man  in  a  secondary  way,  which 
the  original  could  not  have  done.  This  is  exemplified,  in  what 
farriers  call  the  grease  in  the  heels  of  horses,  the  matter  of 

4 
y 


DR.    JENNER.  199 

which  applied  to  the  cow  produces  the  vaccine  pustule,  which 
is  capable  of  generating  a  disease  in  the  human  body,  bearing  so 
strong  a  resemblance  to  the  smallpox,  as  to  create  a  strong  sus- 
picion of  its  being  the  source  of  that  disease  also.  The  matter 
of  grease  is  applied  to  cows  by  men  who  have  the  care  of  horses, 
and  are  occasionally  employed  in  assisting  the  maid-servants  in 
milking.  The  disease  is  thus  communicated  to  the  animals, 
and  from  them  to  the  dairymaids,  which  spreads  throughout 
the  whole  farm  until  most  of  the  cattle  and  domestics  feel  the 
unpleasant  consequences.  In  thus  accounting  for  the  origin 
of  the  cowpox,  Dr.  Jenner  evinced  the  acuteness  of  his  judg- 
ment, and  the  diligent  spirit  which  actuated  him  in  all  his 
enquiries.  But  his  theory  was  not  generally  received,  nor  is 
it  now  so  established  'as  to  be  free  from  objections.  This, 
however,  is  of  little  consequence,  and  in  no  degree  affects  the 
value  of  the  discovery  itself. 

The  announcement  of  a  discovery  which  promised  to  strike 
one  out  of  the  catalogue  of  human  evils  by  annihilating  a 
disease  which  had  ever  been  considered  as  the  most  dreadful 
scourge  of  mankind,  naturally  created  a  very  powerful  and 
extensive  sensation. 

The  honour  of  commencing  the  practice  of  vaccination  in 
London  is  due  to  Mr.  Cline.  In  the  month  of  July,  1798,  Mr. 
Cline  inoculated  a  child  at  St.  Thomas's  Hospital  with  vaccine 
virus  received  from  Dr.  Jenner.  He  afterwards  put  the 
child  to  the  test  of  inoculation  with  smallpox  matter  in  three 
places,  which  it  resisted.  On  that  occasion,  Mr.  Cline  in- 
formed Dr.  Jenner,  that  Dr.  Lister,  formerly  physician  to  the 
Smallpox  Hospital,  and  himself,  were  convinced  of  the  efficacy 
of  the  cowpox,  and  that  the  substitution  of  that  mild  disease 
for  the  smallpox,  promised  to  be  one  of  the  greatest  improve- 
ments ever  made  in  medicine.  He  added,  "  the  more  I  think 
on  the  subject  the  more  I  am  impressed  with  its  importance." 

Considerable  opposition,  however,  was  manifested  to  the 
new  practice  by  several  eminent  medical  men.  Dr.  Pearson 
in  particular  published  a  very  unfavourable  report  of  a 
number  of  experiments  which  he  and  Dr.  Woodville  had 

o  4- 


200  DR.  JENNER. 

made  on  the  subject.  Dr.  Jenner,  therefore,  felt  it  incumbent 
on  him  to  defend  the  accuracy  of  his  own  statements ;  and 
accordingly,  in  1799,  he  published  "  Further  Observations  on 
the  Variolas  Vaccinse ;"  and  subsequently,  in  answer  to  further 
attacks  by  Dr.  Pearson  and  Dr.  Woodville,  "  A  Continua- 
tion of  Facts  and  Observations  relative  to  the  Vaccinae  Va- 
riolas." In  these  treatises,  Dr.  Jenner  replied  to  his  oppo- 
nents with  great  dignity,  moderation,  and  temper  ;  vindicating 
the  practice  of  vaccine  inoculation  from  the  various  charges 
brought  against  it ;  and  proving  that  what  was  ascribed  to 
the  cowpox  was  in  reality  occasioned  by  the  smallpox,  pro- 
pagated in  disguise. 

To  the  effect  of  these  answers,  the  favourable  reports  of 
other  practitioners,  and  a  testimonial  recommending  the  prac- 
tice, signed  by  a  considerable  number  of  the  most  eminent  phy- 
sicians and  surgeons  in  the  metropolis,  and  published  in  the 
medical  journals,  and  other  respectable  channels  of  inform- 
ation, greatly  contributed.  Mr.  Ring  especially  distinguished 
himself  in  the  defence  of  Dr.  Jenner. 

Vaccination,  in  the  year  1 799,  acquired  the  powerful  sup- 
port of  the  commander  in  chief.  The  smallpox  was  a  disease 
which  had  continually  infested  the  army ;  when  it  appeared 
in  a  regiment  it  usually  spread ;  and,  owing  to  the  irregular 
lives  of  soldiers,  often  with  peculiar  malignity.  This  being 
well  knpwn  to  the  Duke  of  York,  ever  solicitous  for  the  safety 
and  comfort  of  the  troops,  His  Royal  Highness  took  the 
proper  steps  to  ascertain  if  the  vaccine  was  in  truth  a  pre- 
ventive of  the  smallpox.  AS  soon  as  the  Army  Medical 
Board,  and  other  competent  judges  had  given  full  assurance 
and  complete  proofs  that  this  was  the  case,  a  general  order 
was  issued  to  all  regimental  surgeons  to  vaccinate  every  sol- 
dier who  had  not  had  the  smallpox.  By  this  means  the 
malady  was  at  once  extinguished  in  the  army,  and  many  a 
gallant  fellow  was  preserved  from  death. 

After  a  short  time,  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty  imitated 
this  excellent  example.  But,  owing  to  ships  of  war  being  so 
much  at  sea,  and  to  the  characteristic  thoughtlessness  and 


DR.  JENNER. 

comparative  intractability  of  sailors,  vaccination  advanced 
much  more  slowly  in  the  navy  than  in  the  army.  The  naval 
surgeons,  however,  employed  it  when  in  their  power,  and  were 
as  much  struck  as  those  in  the  military  service  with  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  discovery.  The  physicians  and  surgeons  of 
the  fleet  presented  a  gold  medal  to  Dr.  Jenner,  accompanied 
with  a  suitable  address,  in  which  they  declared  that  they 
could  not  remain  passive  spectators  of  an  event  so  singular  as 
the  discovery  of  a  substitute  for  the  smallpox;  an  event  which 
the  philosopher  contemplated  with  wonder,  and  the  friend  of 
the  human  species  with  exultation.  The  medal  represents 
Apollo,  the  god  of  physic,  introducing  a  seaman  recovered 
from  vaccine  inoculation  to  Britannia ;  who  in  return  extends 
a  civic  crown,  on  which  *is  inscribed  JENNER.  The  motto 
is  peculiarly  happy :  ALBA  NAUTIS  STELLA  REFULSIT.  On 
the  reverse  is  an  anchor :  above,  GEORGIO  TERTIO  REGE  ; 
below,  SPENCER  DUCE;  expressing  the  reign  in  which,  and 
the  name  of  the  noble  lord  in  whose  naval  administration, 
and  under  whose  auspices,  this  valuable  improvement  of  the 
healing  art  was  introduced  into  the  navy  of  Great  Britain. 

The  practice  of  vaccination,  although  still  warmly  opposed 
by  a  few  professional  men,  the  most  eminent  of  whom  were 
Dr.  Moseley,  Dr.  Rowley,  and  Mr.  Birch,  was  now  taken  up 
with  great  animation  in  the  metropolis,  and  spread  rapidly 
over  every  quarter  of  the  globe.  In  France  it  was  welcomed 
as  the  angel  of  health ;  in  Germany  it  was  supported  by  a 
host  of  able  operators,  at  the  head  of  whom  was  Dr.  De  Carro, 
of  Vienna ;  in  Italy  it  met  with  an  advocate  and  promulgator 
of  equal  ability,  Dr.  Sacco,  of  Milan ;  and  what  was  more  re- 
markable, the  King  of  Spain  sent  his  physician,  Dr.  Balmis, 
on  a  voyage  to  South  America,  expressly  for  the  purpose  of 
diffusing  this  blessing.  The  medical  men  in  the  United 
States  were  almost  unanimous  in  promoting  vaccination ;  and 
even  in  the  East  it  overcame  the  prejudices  of  the  Hindoos 
and  Chinese.  In  Russia  it  was  equally  successful ;  and  the 
mother  of  the  present  emperor,  Alexander,  was  so  delighted 
with  the  discovery,  that  she  sent  Dr.  Jenner  a  very  valuable 


DR.  JENNER. 

diamond  ring,  accompanied  by  a  letter,  of  which  the  follow- 
ing is  a  translation  : — 

"  SIR,  —  The  practice  of  vaccine  inoculation  in  England 
having  been  attended  with  the  happiest  success,  which  is  well 
attested,  I  have  eagerly  imitated  the  example,  by  introducing 
it  into  the  charitable  establishments  under  my  direction.  My 
endeavours  having  perfectly  answered  my  expectations,  I  feel 
a  pleasure  in  reporting  my  success,  and  in  testifying  my  ac- 
knowledgements to  him  who  has  rendered  this  signal  service 
to  mankind.  This  motive  induces  me  to  offer  you,  Sir,  this 
ring,  sent  herewith  as  a  testimony  of  the  sentiments  of  esteem 
and  regard  with  which  I  am 

"  Yours,  affectionately, 

"  MARY." 
"  Paulomty,  August  10tht  1802." 

His  Prussian  Majesty  was  the  first  crowned  head  who  sub- 
mitted his  own  offspring  to  vaccine  inoculation.  The  Em- 
peror of  Germany,  who  had  offered  rewards  for  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  practice,  followed  his  example. 

Jn  proportion  as  the  benefits  of  vaccination  were  extended, 
gratitude  to  the  benefactor  arose  in  the  public  mind,  and  the 
feeling  that  he  merited  a  most  honourable  remuneration  gradu- 
ally prevailed.  This  became  a  topic  of  conversation,  not  only 
with  the  medical  profession,  but  likewise  with  those  who  take 
an  interest  in  scientific  researches.  It  was  perceived,  that  if 
concealment  had  been  practised,  an  immense  fortune  might 
have  been  accumulated.  But  although  such  a  line  of  conduct, 
could  never  have  been  pursued  by  a  man  like  Jenner,  still  it 
was  remarked  that  the  consumption  of  time  and  the  pecuniary 
sacrifices  in  attaining  the  ultimate  object  had  been  great,  and 
that  Dr.  Jenner  ought,  at  least,  not  to  be  allowed  to  suffer  by 
his  disinterestedness.  These  considerations  having  suggested 
themselves  to  some  political  characters,  not  wholly  engrossed 
by  party  contests,  they  resolved  to  lay  the  subject  before 
Parliament. 

It  is  in  the  House  of  Commons   that  grants   of  public 


DR.  JENNER.  203 

money  must  originate.  Dr.  Jenner  was  proudly  circumstanced. 
He  had  bestowed  on  his  country  and  on  the  world  so  inesti- 
mable a  good,  that  nothing  approaching  its  value  could  be 
returned.  It  was  evident,  that  to  him  mankind  must  for  ever 
remain  insolvent.  Yet,  to  obtain  even  a  compensation  for  the 
expenses  which  he  had  incurred,  it  was  indispensable  that  he 
should  present  to  the  House  of  Commons  a  petition,  couched 
in  certain  prescribed  terms  of  solicitation. 

On  the  17th  of  March,  1802,  Dr.  Jenner's  petition  was 
presented.  Mr.  Addington,  now  Viscount  Sidmouth,  was  at 
that  time  prime  minister,  and  favoured  the  application  with 
every  requisite  official  aid.  He  communicated  to  the  House, 
that  he  had  taken  the  King's  pleasure  upon  the  contents  of 
the  petition,  and  that  TFIis  Majesty  recommended  it  strongly 
to  the  consideration  of  Parliament.  The  business  was  then 
referred  to  a  committee,  of  which  Admiral  Berkeley  was  ap- 
pointed chairman. 

The  committee  acted  with  scrupulous  'impartiality,  sum- 
moning before  them  both  the  persons  who  had  had  the  greatest 
experience  in  vaccination,  and  were  most  favourable  to  it; 
and  those  who,  by  their  writings  and  declarations,  were 
known  to  be  inimical  to  Dr.  Jenner,  and  to  his  discovery. 

After  a  very  patient  investigation  and  deliberation,  the 
committee  drew  up  a  report,  expressed  in  as  favourable  terms 
towards  Dr.  Jenner  as  the  caution  and  formality  of  Parlia- 
mentary language  would  permit ;  which  was  presented  to  the 
House  on  the  6th  of  May,  1802.  On  the  2d  of  June,  the 
House  having  formed  itself  into  a  committee  of  supply,  the 
subject  was  taken  into  consideration. 

Admiral  Berkeley  first  addressed  the  committee.  Pie 
dwelt  on  the  clearness  of  the  proofs,  which  had  been  adduced 
of  the  great  importance  of  vaccination,  and,  while  he  allowed 
that  the  sum  was  insufficient,  and  that  he  would  support  any 
proposition  that  might  be  made  for  substituting  one  of  larger 
amount,  moved  that  10,000/.  should  be  granted  by  Parliament 
to  Dr.  Jenner. 

Sir  Henry   Mildmay  thought  the  sum   proposed   by  no 


204-  DR.  JENNER. 

means  adequate.  The  conduct  of  Dr.  Jenner,  had,  in  his 
opinion,  been  most  liberal.  There  was  ample  testimony  that 
if  he  had  locked  up  the  secret  in  his  own  breast  he  might 
easily  have  realised  100,000/.  He  moved  as  an  amendment 
to  make  the  grant  20,000/. 

Mr.  Bankes  declared  that  there  was  a  paramount  duty  in- 
vested in  that  House  as  the  guardian  of  the  public  purse  which 
it  behoved  them  to  attend  to.  There  had  been  several  in- 
stances in  which  the  House  had  voted  sums  of  money  for 
similar  purposes  which  he  was  sure  they  wished  recalled. 
He  lamented  that  Dr.  Jenner  had  not  kept  the  secret,  as 
he  would  then  have  been  remunerated  by  his  own  practice ; 
but  there  was  reason  to  believe  that  that  would  still  be  the 
case,  as  it  was  probable  he  would  be  preferred  to  other  medi- 
cal men  for  conducting  the  process,  even  although  the  method 
was  disclosed.  Acknowledging  the  general  benefit  of  the 
discovery,  he  could  not  Jthink  himself  justified  in  thus  voting 
away  the  public  money ;  and  thereby  establishing  a  dangerous 
precedent. 

Mr.  Windham  admitted  that  the  House  was  the  guardian 
of  the  public  purse ;  whence  it  followed,  that  it  should  not 
grant  a  reward  where  it  was  not  merited.  The  first  question 
was,  did  Dr.  Jenner's  discovery  deserve  a  reward.  If  that 
were  decided  affirmatively,  the  next  thing  to  consider  was  what 
the  amount  of  the  reward  ought  to  be.  Dr.  Jenner  had  con- 
ducted himself  most  meritoriously  by  imparting  his  discovery 
to  the  world,  and  proving  its  utility,  before  he  solicited  a  re- 
ward. Had  he  adopted  the .  system  of  concealment  recom- 
mended by  the  honourable  member  for  Corfe  Castle,  he  (Mr. 
Windham)  was  at  a  loss  to  say  what  sum  it  would  have  been 
the  duty  of  the  House  to  vote  for  the  purchase  of  such  a  secret. 
It  appeared  to  him  that  the  larger  of  the  two  grants  proposed 
was  the  least  that  could  be  given. 

Sir  James  Sinclair  Erskine  (now  Earl  of  Rosslyn)  remarked 
that  in  completing  and  extending  his  discovery,  Dr.  Jenner 
had  actually  expended  no  less  than  6000/ ;  besides  the  aban- 
donment of  a  country  practice,  of  full  600/.  a  year.  Should, 


DR.  JENNER.  205 

therefore,  the  majority  of  the  House  object  to  granting  20,000^., 
he  hoped  that  at  least  they  would  grant  15,000/.;  that  Dr.  Jen- 
ner  might  acquire  9000/.  clear. 

Mr.  M.  A.  Taylor  objected  to  Dr.  Jenner's  expenses  being 
adduced  to  influence  their  decision;  because  as  those  ex- 
penses had  not  been  stated  by  the  committee  as  a  ground 
for  their  resolutions,  they  were  not  regularly  before  the 
H  use. 

Mr.  Hobhouse  read  several  extracts  from  the  report  of 
the  committee  relative  to  Dr.  Jenner's  expenses,  and  added 
that  those  expenses,  having  been  thus  noticed  as  one  of  the 
points  of  their  deliberations,  could  be  adverted  to  in  argument 
with  perfect  regularity, 

The  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  (Mr.  Addington)  ob- 
served that  one  thing  was  clear,  namely,  that  whatever  sum 
of  money  might  be  granted  to  Dr.  Jenner  he  had  already  re- 
ceived the  greatest  reward  which  could  be  bestowed  on  an 
Englishman,  the  unanimous  approbation  of  the  House  of 
Commons :  an  approbation  most  richly  deserved,  as  it  had 
been  acquired  by  one  of  the  most  important  discoveries  to  so- 
ciety ever  made  since  the  creation  of  man.  If  he  were  called 
upon  to  say  what  was  the  value  of  the  discovery,  he  should 
not  know  what  sum  to  specify;  for  it  was  certainly  inesti- 
mable. But  although  the  benefits  were  boundless,  the  re- 
muneration must  have  limits.  It  was  only,  however,  from  his 
conviction  that  Dr.  Jenner  would  acquire  by  what  had  occurred 
in  Parliament  many  other  advantages,  that,  resisting  his  own 
feelings,  and  attending  to  nothing  but  a  sense  of  public  duty, 
he  should  compel  himself  to  vote  for  the  original  motion. 

Mr.  Grey  (now  Earl  Grey)  regretted  that  the  right  ho- 
nourable gentleman,  aware  as  he  seemed  to  be  of  the  vast  bene- 
fits flowing  to  mankind  from  vaccination,  did  not  concur  in 
the  amendment.  He  had  heard  no  sufficient  reason  for  lim- 
iting the  sum  to  10,0007.  If  the  house  contracted  their 
views  to  a  mere  calculation  of  the  expenses  and  losses  which 
Dr.  Jenner  might  have  incurred,  they  ran  a  risk  of  only  in- 
demnifying, instead  of  rewarding  him.  One  honourable  and 


206  DR.    JEtfNER. 

frugal  gentleman  had  even  expressed  an  alarm  lest  this  should 
become  a  dangerous  precedent,  and  lest  the  public  purse 
should  not  suffice  for  such  claims.  He  (Mr.  Grey)  had  like- 
wise fears,  though  from  a  different  source;  for  he  dreaded 
that  Parliament  would  never  again  have  the  happiness  of  re- 
warding similar  merit.  He  warmly  supported  the  larger 
grant. 

Mr.  Wilberforce  represented  the  various  claims  which  Dr. 
Jenner  possessed  on  the  justice  of  the  House,  and,  contended 
that  in  every  view  of  the  subject  the  larger  sum  ought  to  be 
voted. 

Mr,  Courtenay  treated  the  subject  with  much  humour  merely 
as  a  financial  question,  estimated  the  benefit  which  would 
accrue  to  the  exchequer  from  the  increase  of  population  which 
Dr,  Jenner's  important  discovery  must  occasion,  and  strongly 
advised  that  the  House,  putting  aside  all  fantastical  notions 
of  humanity,  and,  like  sensible  persons,  minding  their  own  in- 
terest, should  allow  Dr.  Jenner,  or  any  one  else  who  did  as 
much  for  the  revenue,  to  touch  a  neat  premium  of  20,000/. 

The  House  then  divided  upon  the  original  motion  for 
granting  10,000/. ;  which  was  carried  by  the  small  majority 
of  three ;  all  those  who  approved  of  the  amendment,  voting 
of  course  in  the  minority. 

In  1806,  when  Lord  Henry  Petty  (now  Marquis  of  Lans- 
down)  became  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  he  determined 
to  bring  the  subject  of  Vaccination  again  before  the  House  of 
Commons.  On  the  2d  of  July  in  that  year,  after  an  able 
speech  in  which  he  expatiated  on  the  incontrovertible  proofs 
of  the  utility  of  the  practice  which  had  been  submitted  to 
Parliament,  the  noble  lord  moved  that  an  humble  address 
should  be  presented  to  His  Majesty  praying  that  he  would  be 
graciously  pleased  to  direct  his  Royal  College  of  Physicians  to 
enquire  into  the  state  of  vaccine  inoculation  in  the  United 
Kingdom,  and  to  report  their  opinion  as  to  the  progress 
it  had  made,  and  the  causes  which  had  retarded  its  general 
adoption.  The  noble  lord  observed  that  should  that  report 
from  the  highest  medical  authority  corroborate  the  favourable 


DR.  JENNER.  207 

opinion  which  foreign  nations  entertained  of  vaccination,  it 
must  greatly  tend  to  subdue  the  prejudices  which  had  been, 
fomented  in  Great  Britain.  In  that  case,  the  house  might 
afterwards  consider  whether  the  ingenious  discoverer  had 
been  remunerated  conformably  to  the  liberal  spirit  and  cha- 
racter of  this  country. 

After  a  short  conversation,  in  which  Dr.  Mathews,  Mr. 
Wilberforce,  Mr.  Windham,  Mr.  Barker,  Mr.  W.  Smith, 
and  Mr.  Paull  participated,  and  which  turned  principally  on 
the  best  mode  of  accomplishing  the  object  in  view,  Lord 
Henry  Petty's  motion  was  agreed  to,  without  one  dissenting 
voice. 

The  Royal  College  of  Physicians  soon  received  his  Ma- 
jesty's commands  to  enquire  into  the  state  of  vaccination,  and 
to  report  their  opinion.  They  entered  on  the  business  with 
great  alacrity.  In  aid  of  the  knowledge  of  their  own  body 
they  applied  to  each  of  the  licentiates  of  the  college;  they  cor- 
responded with  the  Colleges  of  Physicians  of  Edinburgh  and 
Dublin ;  and  with  the  Colleges  of  Surgeons  of  London, 
Edinburgh,  and  Dublin.  They  also  wrote  to  the  societies  es- 
tablished for  vaccination  for  the  result  of  their  practice ;  and 
invited  by  public  notice  every  individual  who  had  any  in- 
formation to  give,  to  send  it  to  them. 

The  numerous  documents  which  the  College  of  Physicians 
received  in  consequence  of  these  applications  were  carefully 
collected,  and  from  the  whole  was  framed  one  comprehensive 
report,  dated  the  19th  of  April,  1807,  which  was  laid  before 
the  House  of  Commons.  The  substance  of  this  report  was, 
that  during  the  eight  years  which  had  elapsed  since  Dr. 
Jenner  made  his  discovery  public,  the  progress  of  vaccination 
had  been  rapid,  not  only  in  all  parts  of  the  United  Kingdom, 
but  in  every  quarter  of  the  civilised  world.  In  the  British 
Islands,  some  hundred  thousands  had  been  vaccinated;  in 
our  possessions  in  the  East  Indies  upwards  of  800,000 ;  and 
amongst  the* nations  of  Europe  the  practice  had  become  ge- 
neral. Vaccination  appeared  to  the  College  of  Physicians  to 
be  in  general  perfectly  safe ;  the  instances  to  the  contrary 


208  DR.  JENNER. 

being  extremely  rare.  The  security  derived  from  vaccination 
against  the  smallpox,  if  not  absolutely  perfect,  was  as  nearly 
so  as  could,  perhaps,  be  expected  from  any  human  invention  ; 
for,  amongst  several  hundred  thousand  cases  with  the  results 
of  which  the  college  had  been  made  acquainted,  the  number 
of  alleged  failures  had  been  surprisingly  small ;  so  much  so 
as  certainly  to  form  no  reasonable  objection  to  the  general 
adoption  of  vaccination.  Indeed  it  appeared  that  there  were 
not  nearly  so  many  failures,  in  a  given  number  of  vaccinated 
persons,  as  there  were  deaths  in  an  equal  number  of  persons 
inoculated  for  the  smallpox :  and  it  was  a  most  important 
fact,  that  in  almost  every  case  where  smallpox  had  suc- 
ceeded vaccination,  it  had  not  been  the  same,  either  in  vio- 
lence, or  in  duration,,  but  had,  with  very  few  exceptions,  been 
remarkably  mild,  as  if  the  smallpox  had  been  deprived  by  the 
vaccine  of  all  its  usual  malignity.  The  College  was  also 
very  decided  in  declaring  that  vaccination  did  less  mischief 
to  the  constitution,  and  less  frequently  gave  rise  to  other  dis- 
eases than  the  smallpox,  either  natural  or  inoculated.  It 
was  from  a  consideration  of  the  pernicious  effects  of  the 
smallpox  that  the  real  value  of  vaccination  was  to  be  estimated. 
The  natural  smallpox  had  been  supposed  to  destroy  a  sixth 
part  of  all  whom  it  attacked ;  and  about  one  in  three  hundred 
perished  even  of  those  who  were  inoculated.  It  was  not 
sufficiently  known  that  about  one  tenth  of  the  whole  mor- 
tality in  London  was  occasioned  by  the  smallpox ;  and  in- 
oculation appeared  to  have  kept  up  a  constant  source  of 
contagion,  which  had  been  the  means  of  increasing  the  num- 
ber of  deaths.  Until  vaccination  became  general  it  would  be 
impossible  to  prevent  the  constant  recurrence  of  smallpox  by 
means  of  those  who  were  inoculated,  except  it  should  appear 
proper  to  the  legislature  to  adopt  in  its  wisdom  some  measure 
to  prevent  those  infected  with  smallpox  from  doing  mis- 
chief to  their  neighbours.  From  the  whole  the  College  of 
Physicians  felt  it  their  duty  strongly  to  recommend  vacci- 
nation ;  and  they  conceived  that  the  public  might  reasonably 
look  forward  with  some  degree  of  hope  to  the  time  when  all 


HR.  JENNER.  209 

opposition  would  cease,  and  when  the  general  concurrence  of 
mankind  would  at  length  be  able  to  put  an  end  at  least  to  the 
ravages,  if  not  to  the  existence  of  the  small-pox. 

Before  the  above  report,  however,  was  laid  before  the 
House  of  Commons,  a  total  change  had  taken  place  in  the 
cabinet,  and  the  administration  of  Mr.  Perceval  had  com- 
menced. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  1807,  the  House  of  Commons  being 
in  a  Committee  of  Supply,  the  Right  Hon.  Spencer  Perceval, 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  called  the  attention  of  the 
Committee  to  the  report  of  the  College  of  Physicians,  and  to 
the  immense  advantages  of  vaccination  which  that  report  de- 
veloped. Were  they  to  proportion  the  reward  to  the  value 
of  the  discovery,  he  knew  not  where  they  ought  to  stop; 
but  convinced  as  he  was  that  the  Committee  would  regard  his 
proposal  as  an  act  of  justice  rather  than  of  liberality,  he  would 
move  that  there  should  be  granted  to  Dr.  Jenner,  as  a  reward 
for  his  matchless  discovery,  an  additional  sum  of  10,000/. 

The  motion  was  opposed  by  Mr.  Shaw  Lefevre,  and  sup- 
ported by  Lord  Henry  Petty,  General  Tarleton,  Mr.  Sturges 
Bourne,  and  Mr.  Hawkins  Browne.  —  Mr.  Edward  Morris 
moved,  as  an  amendment,  to  grant  Dr.  Jenner  20,000/.  instead 
of  10,000/,,  to  mark  the  sense  which  Parliament  entertained  of 
his  merits,  and  to  place  him  in  a  state  of  independence.  The 
amendment  was  supported  by  Sir  John  Sebright,  Mr.  Herbert, 
Mr.  Wilberforce,  and  Mr.  Windham.  The  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer  in  vain  opposed  the  torrent  of  liberality.  It  was  slily, 
though  perhaps  justly  hinted,  by  Mr.  W.  Smith,  who  was 
for  the  larger  sum,  that  although  the  right  honourable  gen- 
tleman, in  consequence  of  his  official  situation,  was  bound  to 
appear  sparing  of  the  public  purse,  he  would  not  be  dis- 
pleased to  find  himself  overborne  by  the  general  sentiments 
of  the  house,  the  country,  and  the  world.  Mr.  Whitbread, 
Mr.  Fuller,  Mr.  Baring,  Admiral  Pole,  and  Mr.  George 
Rose,  junior,  all  spoke  in  favour  of  the  amendment.  At  length 
the  house  divided  upon  the  question  that  20,000/  should  be 
granted  to  Dr.  Jenner ;  sixty  votes  were  in  favour  of  that 
VOL.  VIH .  p 


DR«    JENNEE. 

sum,  and  forty-seven  against  it.     Thus  the  amendment  was 
carried  by  a  majority  of  thirteen. 

During  these  parliamentary  discussions,  the  practice  of 
vaccination  continued  to  gain  ground,  and  Dr.  Jenner  con- 
tinued to  receive  the  most  flattering  marks  of  distinction  from 
public  bodies  at  home  and  abroad.  He  was  chosen  mayor 
of  his  native  town ;  the  corporation  of  Dublin  voted  him  the 
freedom  of  their  city  ;  the  imperial  university  of  Wilna  sent 
him  a  diploma ;  and  even  the  Roman  Catholic  Academy  of 
Madrid  elected  him  a  member  of  that  learned  society :  the 
Royal  College  of  Physicians  of  Edinburgh  did  him  the  same 
honour ;  and  lastly,  the  university  of  Oxford  conferred  upon 
him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Physic,  by  a  decree  of  the  con- 
vocation. Jennerian  institutions  were  founded  in  many  places, 
in  all  of  which  his  birth-day  was  regularly  observed  as  a 
festival. 

When  Dr.  Wickham  was  made  prisoner  in  France,  Dr. 
Jenner  was  applied  to  as  the  fittest  person  to  address  to 
Buonaparte  a  petition,  soliciting  that  physician's  liberation. 
This  was  at  the  time  of  Napoleon's  greatest  animosity  to  this 
country.  The  Emperor  happened  to  be  in  his  carriage  while 
his  horses  were  changing,  when  the  petition  was  presented  to 
him,  and  hastily  exclaimed,  "  Away  !  away!" — "  But  do  you 
see,"  said  Josephine,  who  accompanied  him,  "  do  you  see 
from  whom  this  comes  —  from  Jenner  ?"  The  tone  of 
Buonaparte's  voice  was  immediately  softened.  "  What  that 
man  asks  must  not  be  refused ;"  and  the  prayer  of  the  petition 
was  granted.  Many  other  Englishmen,  even  whole  families, 
were  also  from  time  to  time  liberated  at  the  request  of  Dr. 
Jenner,  who  of  course  observed  proper  delicacy  in  not  apply- 
ing too  frequently. 

Some  defects  appearing  to  exist  in  the  management  of  the 
Royal  Jennerian  Society,  which  had  been  established  in  the 
metropolis  in  1803,  under  the  patronage  of  the  King  and 
Queen,  the  whole  of  the  royal  family,  and  vast  numbers  of 
the  nobility  and  gentry,  it  was  suggested  to  Dr.  Jenner  that 
he  should  endeavour  to  make  the  business  of  vaccination  a 


D#.    JENNER.  2 11 

national  concern,  by  recommending  and  promoting  the  erec- 
tion of  an  establishment,  under  the  controul  of  the  Colleges 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  London.  The  proposition 
being  approved  of  by  his  Majesty's  government,  Mr.  Rose 
undertook  to  bring  it  before  parliament.  Accordingly  in  the 
House  of  Commons,  on  the  9th  of  June,  1808,  he  moved  a 
resolution,  "  That  the  House  was  of  opinion,  that  great  public 
benefit  would  be  derived  from  the  establishment  of  a  central 
institution  in  London,  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  vaccine 
inoculation  generally  beneficial  to  his  Majesty's  subjects ;  to 
be  superintended  by  a  certain  number  of  the  Royal  College 
of  Physicians,  and  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  in 
London  ;  and  by  such  persons,  under  their  direction,  as  they 
might  think  fit  to  appoint."  The  resolution  was  warmly 
supported  by  Lord  Henry  Petty  and  Mr.  Wilberforce ;  and 
opposed  by  Sir  F.  Burdett,  who  argued  that  the  utility  of 
vaccination  had  not  been  sufficiently  established.  On  a  divi- 
sion, however,  it  appeared,  that  there  were  only  four  other 
members  of  the  Hon.  Baronet's  opinion.  By  the  King's 
authority  The  National  Vaccine  Establishment  was  imme- 
diately instituted.  The  Board,  composed  of  the  President 
and  Censors  of  the  College  of  Physicians,  and  the  Master 
and  Governors  of  the  College  of  Surgeons,  in  London,  as- 
sembled on  the  28th  of  December,  1808.  Dr.  .Tenner  was 
first  elected  Director,  and,  as  he  resided  in  the  country, 
Mr.  James  Moore  was  chosen  Assistant  Director.  An  un- 
fortunate misunderstanding,  however,  arising  between  Dr. 
Jenner  and  the  Board,  Dr.  Jenner  declined  the  office  of 
Director,  and  Mr.  Moore  was  appointed  in  his  stead.  A 
number  of  important  arrangements  were  formed,  and  the 
beneficial  influence  of  the  institution  was  extended,  not  only 
to  every  part  of  the  British  dominions,  but  also  to  foreign 
countries. 

From  that  time  all  open  opposition  to  vaccination,  by  re- 
gular practitioners,  greatly  declined.  That  there  are  occa- 
sional failures  in  its  application,  there  is  too  strong  and  too 
respectable  evidence  to  doubt ;  and  when  the  varieties  of  the 

p  2 


DR.  JENNER. 

human  constitution  are  considered,  it  would  have  been  extra- 
ordinary indeed  had  it  not  been  so.  Even  variolous  inocula- 
tion itself  is  not  an  absolute  security,  and  numerous  instances 
are  upon  record,  of  persons  having  had  the  small-pox  more 
than  once.  Yet  no  rational  person  will  object  to  inoculation 
on  that  account ;  and  it  is  a  matter  well  worthy  of  observation, 
and  one  the  importance  of  which  can  never  be  sufficiently 
impressed,  that  whenever  the  small-pox  has  followed  vaccin- 
ation, it  has  always  assumed  a  milder  aspect  than  in  those 
cases  where  it  has  been  caught  by  contagion  or  insertion. 

Upon  the  visit  of  the  foreign  potentates  to  this  country,  in 
1814«,  Dr.  Jenner  had  the  honour  of  an  audience  of  them,  as 
well  as  of  the  late  amiable  Grand  Duchess  of  Oldenburgh. 
The  Duchess  arrived  in  London  about  a  month  before  her 
imperial  brother.  Having  ascertained  that  Dr.  Jenner  was  in 
town,  she  expressed  a  desire  that  he  should  be  introduced  to 
her.  An  interview  accordingly  took  place  at  the  Pulteney 
Hotel.  It  proved  extremely  interesting  from  the  very  appo- 
site enquiries  made  by  her  Imperial  Highness  with  respect, 
not  only  to  vaccination,  but  to  various  other  subjects  con- 
nected with  natural  history  and  medicine,  in  which  she  knew 
that  Dr.  Jenner  was  deeply  experienced.  Towards  the  close 
of  the  conversation,  Dr.  Jenner  requested  her  Imperial  High- 
ness, when  she  wrote  to  her  august  mother,  to  have  the 
goodness  to  say  that  he  had  a  grateful  remembrance  of  the 
kind  attention  which  she  had  shown  him.  "  When  I  write  !" 
the  Duchess  replied  :  "  I  will  write  this  very  evening."  At 
parting,  she  said,  "  Dr.  Jenner,  you  must  see  the  Emperor, 
my  brother,  who  is  expected  here  soon." 

The  Emperor  arrived,  and  the  promised  interview  took 
place.  Alexander  received  Dr.  Jenner  most  graciously ;  told 
him  that  vaccination  had  nearly  subdued  the  small-pox 
throughout  Russia,  and  expatiated  on  the  benefits  which  the 
world  had  derived  from  his  services. 

Dr.  Jenner  afterwards  waited  by  appointment  on  the  King 
of  Prussia,  who  gave  him  a  very  polite  reception ;  and  he  was 
subsequently  presented  to  Blucher,  and  PJatoff;  the  latter  of 

5 


DR.  JENNER. 

whom  manifested  considerable  knowledge  of  the  practice  of 
vaccination,  and  said  to  Dr.  Jenner,  "  Sir,  you  have  extin- 
guished the  most  pestilential  disorder  that  ever  appeared  on 
the  banks  of  the  Don." 

After  these  interviews,  Dr.  Jenner  returned  to  Cheltenham, 
where  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  amiable  lady.  In  a 
short  time  subsequent  to  that  melancholy  event,  he  removed 
to  Berkeley,  where  he  thenceforward  resided  in  retirement. 

At  length,  after  a  long  and  laborious  life,  devoted  to  scien- 
tific enquiries,  and  the  most  honourable  application  of  the 
result,  this  eminent  and  excellent  man  was  found  lying  on  his 
floor  in  a  fit  of  apoplexy,  on  the  morning  of  Saturday,  the 
25th  of  January,  1823. 

His  nephew,  who  is  of  the  medical  profession,  immediately 
bled  him,  and  another  relative  rode  to  Gloucester  to  fetch 
Dr.  Baron,  a  physician  of  the  highest  character;  author  of 
"  A  Treatise  on  Tuberculous  Diseases,"  and  other  works. 
Dr.  Baron,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Shrapnell,  Surgeon  of  the 
South  Gloucester  Militia,  hastened  to  Berkeley.  They  found 
the  symptoms  most  formidable,  and  every  effort  which  skill 
could  suggest  was  employed  in  vain.  The  patient  continued 
in  a  state  of  total  insensibility  till  about  two  o'clock  on  Sunday 
morning,  when  he  expired,  in  his  74-th  year. 

In  conformity  to  Dr.  Jenner's  own  wishes,  his  relatives  and 
trustees  have  applied  to  his  intimate  friend,  Dr.  Baron,  to 
write  a  detailed  account  of  his  life,  and  to  arrange  for  public- 
ation his  numerous  manuscripts.  The  following  elegant  and 
comprehensive  sketch  of  Dr.  Jenner's  character,  and  of  the 
effects  of  his  scientific  and  benevolent  exertions,  is  from  the 
pen  of  Dr.  Baron,  and  appeared  in  the  Gloucester  Journal  of 
February  3d,  1823;  in  the  preceding  number  of  which 
journal  the  melancholy  intelligence  of  Dr.  Jenner's  death  had 
been  briefly  announced :  — 

"  The  suddenness  of  this  calamitous  event  rendered  it  im- 
possible for  us  to  dwell  upon  it,  in  our  last  publication,  as  the 
occasion  required.  We  now  recur  to  it,  not  with  the  hope  of 
adding  honour  to  the  name  of  Dr.  Jenner  —  a  name  far  be- 

p  3 


214  DR.  JEN  NEK. 

yond  our  praise  —  but  briefly  to  recount  some  few  results  of 
his  most  beneficent  exertions  in  the  cause  of  humanity,  and  to 
dwell  for  a  short  space  on  the  peculiar  and  endearing  qualities 
of  his  domestic  life :  which,  when  viewed  in  conjunction  with 
thevastness  of  his  renown,  and  the  magnitude  of  the  influence 
which  he  has  had  upon  the  destinies  of  his  race,  form  alto- 
gether a  picture  of  individual  character,  unexampled  perhaps* 
in  the  history  of  any  age  or  nation. 

"  There  is  something  in  the  progress  of  the  discovery  of 
vaccination  so  indicative  of  the  surpassing  genius  and  saga- 
city of  the  author,  and,  in  its  final  development  and  promul- 
gation, so  much  that  betokens  the  humility,  the  benevolence, 
and  the  disinterestedness  of  his  nature,  that  we  cannot  but 
regard  him  as  one  of  those  highly  favoured  individuals  whom 
it  pleases  Providence  now  and  then  to  select,  as  the  medium 
through  which  relief  is  vouchsafed  to  the  miseries  of  our  nature. 

"  The  plague  which  he  essayed  to  stay  was  universal  in  its 
ravages.  Other  scourges  are  confined  to  certain  latitudes,  or 
rage  only  during  particular  seasons ;  but  time  nor  place  re- 
strained the  all-devouring  enemy  which  it  was  his  aim  to  sub- 
due. There  is  reason  to  believe,  that  small-pox  has  existed 
in  the  East,  especially  in  China  and  Hindostan,  for  several 
thousand  years.  It  did  not  visit  the  more  western  nations  till 
towards  the  middle  of  the  sixth  century :  it  then  broke  out 
near  Mecca,  immediately  before  the  birth  of  Mahomet.  It 
was  afterwards  gradually  diffused  over  the  whole  of  the  Old 
World,  and  was  finally  transported  to  the  New,  shortly  after 
the  death  of  Columbus. 

"  In  the  British  islands  alone,  it  has  been  computed  that 
forty  thousand  individuals  perished  annually  by  this  disease  ! 
It  killed  one  in  fourteen  of  all  that  were  born,  and  one  in  six 
of  all  that  were  attacked  by  it  in  the  natural  way.  The  in- 
troduction of  inoculation  for  small-pox,  was  productive  of 
great  benefit  to  all  who  submitted  to  the  operation;  but 
though  it  augmented  the  individual  security,  it  is  a  well- 
ascertained  fact,  that  it  added  to  the  general  mortality,  by 
multiplying  the  sources  of  contagion,  and  thereby  increasihg 


DR.  JENNER.  215 

the  number  of  those  who  became  affected  with  the  natural 
distemper. 

"  All  who  have  not  yet  duly  appreciated  the  benefits  which 
vaccination  has  conferred  on  mankind,  may  do  well  to  me- 
ditate for  a  while  on  this  picture.  Let  them  look  on  the 
loathsomeness  and  dangers  of  small-pox  in  its  most  mitigated 
form ;  let  them  consider  that  this  disease  has  been  banished 
from  some  countries,  and,  with  due  care,  might  be  eradicated 
from  all ;  let  them  remember,  that,  notwithstanding  pre- 
judices, carelessness,  and  ignorance,  millions  now  live  who, 
but  for  vaccination,  would  have  been  in  their  graves;  let  them 
think  on  these  things,  and  say,  what  ought  to  be  our  feelings 
towards  him  who  has  been  the  honoured  instrument  of  so 
much  good. 

"  To  have  anticipated  such  results  from  human  agency, 
would  at  no  remote  period  have  been  considered  the  most 
chimerical  of  all  imaginations.  We  have,  nevertheless,  seen 
them  realized.  The  time  in  which  they  occurred  will  for 
ever  be  marked  as  an  epoch  in  the  physical  history  of  man ; 
and  England,  with  all  her  glories,  may  well  rejoice  that  she 
has  to  number  Jenner  among  her  sons. 

"  The  meekness,  gentleness,  and  simplicity  of  his  de- 
meanour, formed  a  most  striking  contrast  to  the  self-esteem 
which  might  have  arisen  from  the  great  and  splendid  con- 
sequences of  his  discovery.  He  was  thankful  and  grateful  for 
them  in  his  heart ;  but  to  pride  and  vain-glory  he  seemed  to 
be  an  utter  stranger.  On  a  recent  interesting  occasion,  a 
short  time  before  his  death,  the  following  were  among  the  last 
words  that  he  ever  spoke  to  the  writer  of  these  lines.  The 
nature  of  his  services  to  his  fellow- creatures  had  been  the 
subject  of  conversation :  '  I  do  not  marvel,'  he  observed, 
4  that  men  are  not  grateful  to  me ;  but  I  am  surprised  that 
they  do  not  feel  gratitude  to  God,  for  making  me  a  medium 
of  good.'  No  one  could  see  him  without  perceiving  that  this 
was  the  habitual  frame  of  his  mind.  Without  it,  it  never 
could  have  been  that  in  his  most  retired  moments,  and  in  his 
intercourse  with  the  great  and  exalted  of  the  earth,  he  in- 

p  4 


216  DR.  JENNERe 

variably  exhibited  the  same  uprightness  of  conduct,  singleness 
of  purpose,  and  unceasing  earnestness  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  his  species,  to  the  total  exclusion  of  all  selfish  and  personal 
considerations.  These  qualities  particularly  arrested  the  at- 
tention of  the  many  distinguished  foreigners  who  came  to  visit 
him ;  and  they  were  not  less  the  cause  of  satisfaction  and 
delight  to  his  most  intimate  friends. 

"  His  condescension,  his  kindness,  his  willingness  to  listen 
to  every  tale  of  distress,  and  the  open-handed  munificence 
with  which  he  administered  to  the  wants  and  necessities  of 
those  around  him,  can  never  be  forgotten  by  any  who  have 
been  guided  and  consoled  by  his  affectionate  counsel,  or 
cherished  and  relieved  by  his  unbounded  charity.  His 
sympathy  for  suffering  worth,  or  genius  lost  in  obscurity,  was 
ever  alive;  and  no  indication  of  talent  or  ingenuity,  no  effort 
of  intellect,  ever  met  his  eye  without  gaining  his  notice,  and 
calling  forth,  on  numberless  occasions,  his  substantial  aid  and 
assistance. 

"  He  was  not  less  generous  in  pouring  forth  the  treasures 
of  his  mind.  A  long  life  spent  in  the  constant  study  of  all 
the  subjects  of  natural  history,  had  stored  it  with  great 
variety  of  knowledge.  —  Hence,  the  originality  of  his  views, 
the  felicity  and  playfulness  of  his  illustrations,  and  the  acute- 
ness  of  his  remarks,  imparted  a  character  of  genius  to  his 
commonest  actions  and  conversations,  which  could  not  escape 
the  most  inattentive  observer. 

"  It  were  a  just  and  gratifying  duty  to  dwell  at  greater 
length  on  these  and  other  kindred  qualities  ;  but  the  present 
occasion  suits  not  for  such  a  purpose ;  and  we  have  only  now 
to  mention  the  last  public  act  of  his  life,  which,  in  a  manner 
particularly  interesting,  harmonizes  with  his  previous  efforts 
in  behalf  of  his  fellow-creatures.  He  attended  a  meeting  con- 
vened on  the  1 9th  of  December  last,  at  Berkeley,  for  forming 
a  Bible  Society,  and  moved  the  first  resolution.  It  was  a 
sight  singularly  gratifying  to  behold  a  venerable  individual, 
whose  life  had  been  spent  in  successfully  devising  means  to 
extinguish  a  fatal  and  pestilential  bodily  disease,  thus  putting 


DR.  JENNER.  217 

his  hand  to  the  work  which  has  been  graciously  designed  for 
arresting  the  moral  pestilence  that  desolates  so  great  a  portion 
of  the  earth,  and  for  the  healing  of  the  nations." 

The  remains  of  Dr.  Jenner  were  deposited  in  the  chancel 
of  the  parish  church  of  Berkeley,  on  the  third  of  February, 
1823.  The  concourse  of  persons  was  immense;  the  indic- 
ations of  respect,  reverence,  and  regret,  were  unequivocally 
conspicuous ;  every  eye  was  moistened,  and  every  heart  op- 
pressed. The  following  epitaph  is  to  be  placed  on  the  tomb : 

"  Within  this  tomb  hath  found  a  resting-place 
The  great  physician  of  the  human  race  — 
Immortal  JENNER  !  whose  gigantic  mind 
Brought  life  and  health  to  more  than  half  mankind. 
Let  rescued  infancy  his  worth  proclaim, 
And  lisp  out  blessings  on  his  honoured  name ; 
And  radiant  beauty  drop  her  saddest  tear, 
For  beauty's  truest,  trustiest  friend  lies  here  !" 

A  provincial  monument  is  about  to  be  raised  to  this  great 
man  by  voluntary  subscriptions ;  but  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  the  gratitude  of  the  nation,  or  rather  that  of  the  world, 
will  be  manifested  by  the  construction  of  some  more  magni- 
ficent memorial. 

Dr.  Jenner  has  left  a  son,  Robert  Fitzharding  Jenner,  a 
Captain  in  the  South  Gloucester  Militia,  a  Magistrate,  M.  A. 
of  Exeter  College,  Oxford,  &c. ;  and  a  daughter,  Catherine, 
wife  of  John  Yeend  Bedford,  Esq.  solicitor,  of  Birmingham  ; 
son  of Bedford,  Esq.,  of  Pershore,  near  Worcester. 


218 


No.  XL 
GENERAL  DUMOUR1EZ. 

C/HARLES-Fran9ois-Duperier  Dumouriez  was  born  at  Cam- 
bray,  the  29th  of  January,  1 739  :  his  family,  originally  from 
Provence,  was  renowned  for  its  antiquity,  for  its  long  exercise 
of  judiciary  power,  and  for  its  striking  attachment  to  litera- 
ture. To  one  of  his  ancestors  Malherbe,  the  father  of  French 
poetry,  addressed  in  1599,  one  of  his  most  beautiful  odes.  It 
was  on  the  loss  of  his  daughter;  and  begins  with  the  line  — 

"  Ta  douleur,  Duperier,  sera  done  eternelle." 

Dumouriez's  father  was  a  very  distinguished  man  of  letters, 
though  not  professionally  so;  and  his  translation  of"  Ricciar- 
detto,"  merited  the  eulogium  of  Voltaire. 

After  his  classical  studies,  in  which  he  had  been  very  suc- 
cessful, Dumouriez  lived  for  some  time  with  his  father,  who 
destined  him  for  the  commissariat ;  but,  this  department  not 
being  agreeable  to  him,  he  chose  to  enter  the  army.  When 
eighteen  years  of  age,  he  made  his  first  campaign  against  the 
same  Duke  of  Brunswick  whom,  in  1792,  he  drove  from  the 
territory  of  France.  He  distinguished  himself  in  several  at- 
tacks, and  was  at  last  taken  prisoner ;  but  not  till  he  had 
received  nineteen  serious  wounds,  and  had  lost  his  horse ;  — 
five  men  had  been  disabled  by  him,  when  his  arms  were 
broken  to  pieces  in  his  hands,  and  the  loss  of  blood  alone 
prevented  a  longer  defence.  The  Duke  of  Brunswick,  who 
was  told  of  his  brave  resistance,  when  the  wounded  prisoner 
was  brought  before  him,  strongly  expressed  his  kind  admir- 
ation, and  sent  him  back  with  a  flattering  letter  to  Marshal 
de  Broglie,  the  general  of  the  French  army. 


GENERAL    DUMOURIEZ. 

We  cannot  follow  him  step  by  step  through  his  military 
career;  it  is  sufficient  to  say,  that,  after  the  peace,  he  was  put 
en  reforme  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  with  a  captain's  rank, 
and  decorated  with  the  cross  of  St.  Louis,  — an  extraordinary, 
but  well  merited,  advancement.  At  this  time  he  had  received 
twenty-two  wounds. 

On  peace  being  made  in  1763,  he  began  his  travels  to 
study  the  languages  and  manners  of  different  nations.  He 
visited  Italy;  and  after  having  sought  to  defend  Corsica 
against  the  Genoese,  he  returned  to  Paris,  and  afterwards 
went  to  Belgium,  whence  he  passed  into  Spain,  with  the 
intention  of  taking  service  there.  He  likewise  visited  Por- 
tugal, and  published  a  work,  entitled  "  An  Essay  on  Portugal," 
after  which  he  returned  td  Paris  in  1767 ;  when  he  was  named 
Aide  mar  Belial-general  of  the  army  destined  to  invade  Corsica, 
which  France  had  bought  from  the  Genoese ;  and,  having 
served  with  reputation  in  the  two  campaigns  of  1768,  and 
1769,  he  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  colonel. 

In  1770,  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  appointed  him  minister  to 
the  confederates  of  Poland;  and  he  commanded  a  body  of  men 
in  that  country  during  two  campaigns,  and  conducted  several 
very  important  negotiations  with  various  success.  As  the  mea- 
sures of  the  confederates  were  ill  concerted,  their  revolution 
was  unfortunate,  and  ended  in  the  participation  of  Poland. 

In  1772  the  Marquis  of  Monteynard,  minister  of  war, 
employed  him  to  correct  and  revise  the  military  code  of  laws : 
at  the  end  of  the  same  year  this  minister,  by  the  express 
order  of  Louis  XV.,  entrusted  him  with  the  management  of  a 
secret  negotiation  relative  to  the  revolution  in  Sweden ;  but 
having  received  his  instructions  on  this  affair  immediately 
from  the  king  himself,  and  unknown  to  the  Duke  D' Aiguillon, 
minister  of  foreign  affairs,  who  had  succeeded  the  Duke  de 
Choiseul,  at  the  change  of  ministry,  he  was  arrested  at  Ham- 
burgh in  1773,  and  conducted  to  the  bastile  by  the  orders  of 
that  minister.  The  irresolute  Louis  XV.  yielding  to  the 
importunities  of  Madame  du  Barry,  his  mistress,  and  the 
Duke  D' Aiguillon,  disgraced  the  virtuous  Monteynard,  for- 


GENERAL    DUMOURIEZ. 

bore  to  inform  the  Duke  of  the  authority  he  had  given  him 
to  negotiate,  and  suffered  him  to  bear  the  weight  of  a  cri- 
minal prosecution,  which  the  Duke  D'Aiguillon,  suspecting 
the  truth,  feared  to  carry  to  all  its  extremity.  Dumouriez 
rejected  offers  of  friendship  and  protection  made  him  by  this 
despotic  minister,  whom  he  did  not  esteem ;  and  after  lying 
six  months  in  the  bastile,  he  was  banished  to  the  castle  of 
Caen  for  three,  months. 

Louis  XV.  died  soon  after;  and  D'Aiguillon  was  disgraced. 
General  Dumouriez  had  no  inclination  to  take  advantage  of 
the  expiration  of  the  Lcttre  de  Cachet,  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
gaining his  liberty ;  he  was  anxious  to  be  completely  justified, 
and  therefore  petitioned  Louis  XVI.  to  remove  him  to  the 
bastile,  and  to  order  a  revision  of  his  trial.  The  king  would 
not  permit  him  to  remain  in  prison,  and  commanded  M.  du 
Muy,  M.  de  Vergennes,  and  M.  de  Sartine  to  revise  the  trial; 
and  those  three  ministers  signed  a  declaration  that  he  had 
been  unjustly  prosecuted.  Immediately  afterwards  he  was 
sent  to  Lisle,  in  his  rank  of  colonel,  to  make  a  report  re- 
specting the  new  military  manoeuvres  which  the  Baron  de 
Pirsch  had  brought  from  Prussia.  He  had  also  a  commission 
to  examine  a  plan  for  improving  the  navigation  of  the  river 
Lys,  and  another  plan  for  forming  a  harbour  in  the  channel 
at  Ambleteuse.  These  employments  occupied  the  latter  end 
of  the  year  1774,  and  the  whole  of  1775. 

In  1776  he  was  joined  in  a  commission  with  the  Chevalier 
D'Oisy,  captain  of  a  man  of  war,  and  Colonel  la  Roziere,  one 
of  the  ablest  engineers  in  Europe,  to  determine  on  a  proper 
place  in  the  channel  for  the  construction  of  a  naval  port.  He 
passed  the  year  1777  in  the  country,  twenty  leagues  from 
Paris.  At  the  end  of  that  year,  he  was  invited  to  Paris  by 
M.  de  Montbarey,  minister  of  war,  on  account  of  the  rupture 
between  England  and  her  colonies,  which  he  had  long  pre- 
dicted. 

In  1778  he  procured  the  office  of  commandant  of  Cher- 
bourg to  be  revived  and  given  to  him.  Being  persuaded  that 
Cherbourg  was  better  calculated  than  any  other  place  in  the 


GENERAL    DUMOURIEZ. 

channel  for  a  national  harbour,  and  being  aided  by  the  zeal, 
activity,  and  influence  of  the  Duke  d'Harcourt,  governor  of 
the  province,  he  obtained  a  decision,  in  favour  of  Cherbourg, 
of  a  question  that  had  been  agitated  during  an  hundred  years, 
concerning  the  preference  to  be  given  to  Cherbourg  or  La 
Hogue,  for  the  site  of  a  naval  port.  From  that  time  till 
1789,  he  was  occupied  in  superintending  the  works  of  Cher- 
bourg ;  and,  during  that  period,  he  was  but  three  times  at 
Paris.  When  he  first  arrived  at  Cherbourg,  it  contained  no 
more  than  seven  thousand  three  hundred  inhabitants,  and 
when  he  quitted  that  place  it  contained  nearly  twenty  thou- 
sand. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution  Dumouriez  de- 
prived its  character  of  much  of  its  evil,  in  the  place  where  he 
commanded.  At  Cherbourg,  the  excesses  of  the  populace 
were  punished  by  him  with  death ;  but  still  he  could  not  be 
accused  of  being  inimical  to  the  liberty  of  the  people.  Other 
individuals  who  were  placed  in  similar  situations  would  have 
rendered  an  inestimable  service  to  their  country,  if  they  had 
exerted  the  same  firmness  with  the  same  discernment. 

The  military  governments  of  towns  in  France  being  sup- 
pressed, Dumouriez  went  to  Paris,  where,  during  two  years, 
he  studied  the  influence  and  character  of  the  Revolution. 
The  flight  of  the  princes  of  France  was  an  irreparable  injury 
done  to  the  cause  of  the  king.  Dumouriez  foresaw  that  the 
exercise  of  the  Veto  would  not  produce  the  end  that  was  pro- 
posed by  it,  and  would  occasion  the  ruin  of  the  monarch's 
cause,  and  he  opposed  it  by  all  the  means  that  were  in  his 
power. 

In  1791  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  country 
from  Nantz  to  Bourdeaux.  At  that  period  a  religious  war 
raged  in  La  Vendee,  and  the  people  laid  waste  the  castles 
and  lands  of  the  nobility.  He  had  the  good  fortune  to  calm 
the  minds  of  the  people,  and  to  preserve  tranquillity  in  that 
country  till  the  month  of  February,  1792,  when  he  was  re- 
called to  Paris,  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-general, 
and  appointed  minister  of  foreign  affairs. 


222  GENERAL    DUMOURIEZ. 

Dumouriez  has  been  reproached  with  having  caused  the 
war  by  his  counsels ;  but  he  proved  that  the  war  was  already 
inevitable,  when  he  began  his  administration,  and  that  indeed 
it  might  be  said  to  have  commenced.  He  acknowledged, 
however,  that  his  opinion  was  decidedly  for  the  declaration  of 
war,  as  was  also  that  of  the  king,  who  not  only  approved  of 
his  memorial  to  the  National  Assembly  on  that  subject  (which 
was  three  days  in  his  hands,)  but  made  corrections  in  it,  and 
himself  composed  the  speech  he  delivered  to  the  Assembly 
on  that  occasion. 

At  the  end  of  three  months,  finding  himself  embarrassed  by 
the  various  factions,  and  being  sincerely  desirous  to  see  the 
king's  council  possessing  proper  dignity,  and  his  measures 
governed  by  constitutional  principles,  he  changed  the  ministry, 
and  obtained  a  promise  that  the  king  would  sanction  two  de- 
crees, which  appeared  expedient  to  his  service.  The  king, 
however,  eventually  refused  his  sanction;  the  ministry  was 
again  changed  by  his  order,  and  General  Dumouriez  took 
the  war  department.  But,  perceiving  that  the  court  had  de- 
ceived him,  he  resolved  not  to  be  the  instrument  of  their 
intrigues.  He  predicted  to  the  unhappy  king  and  queen  all 
the  misfortunes  in  which  they  were  involving  themselves,  and 
he  .gave  in  his  resignation  three  days  after  being  appointed 
minister  of  war. 

Louis  was  two  days  before  he  would  accept  Dumouriez's 
resignation  ;  and  did  not  suffer  him  to  go  without  expressing 
the  deepest  regret. 

One  month  had  not  elapsed  after  the  departure  of  the  mi- 
nister for  the  army  before  the  king  was  insulted ;  and  at  the 
end  of  the  second  month,  he  was  a  prisoner  in  the  temple. 

The  enemy  entered  France ;  the  leaders  of  the  Revolution 
revenged  themselves  on  the  unfortunate  Louis.  Dumouriez, 
as  a  citizen  and  a  general,  had  only  to  repulse  the  enemy,  in 
the  expectation  that  their  retreat  would  lessen  the  danger 
which  surrounded  the  king.  There  was  still  reason  to  think, 
that  the  excesses  of  the  Revolutionists  might  be  checked.  Du- 
mouriez refused  to  follow  Lafayette's  premature  example,  and 


GENERAL    DUMOURIEZ. 

he  succeeded  him  in  the  command  of  the  army  of  the  North. 
He  marched  with  a  few  soldiers  against  the  Prussian  army, 
of  almost  100,000  men  strong,  and  by  the  most  expert  ma- 
noeuvres arrested  their  march,  took  their  strongest  positions, 
and  wrote  to  the  Assembly  — "  Verdun  is  taken  :  I  wait  for 
the  Prussians.  The  defiles  of  the  Argonne  are  the  Thermo- 
pylae of  France ;  but  I  shall  be  happier  than  Leonidas."  In. 
a  very  few  days  the  invaders  fled. 

The  genius  of  Dumouriez  changed  in  this  campaign  the 
destinies  of  France  and  of  Europe. 

His  prudence  had  obtained  him  the  victory  almost  without 
a  combat,  and  Dumouriez  flew  to  oppose  other  enemies,  and 
to  display  a  very  varied  talent.  Hitherto  the  inferiority  of  his 
force,  and  the  various  obstacles  opposed  to  him,  had  com- 
pelled him  to  proceed  with  caution.  But  now  he  no  longer 
procrastinated  ;  he  gave  immediate  battle,  and  on  the  plains 
of  Jemappes  the  standard  of  France  was  triumphant,  and  in 
six  weeks  after  the  acquisition  of  that  victory,  it  floated  over 
the  towers  of  all  Belgium. 

After  these  successful  events,  General  Dumouriez  returned 
to  Paris,  where  the  trial  of  Louis  XVI.  had  already  com- 
menced. He  did  not  conceal  his  intentions :  — he  had  little 
doubt  of  saving  Louis  XVI.  He  Jiad  sent  a  certain  number 
of  his  officers  to  Paris  to  facilitate  this  design,  and  depended 
in  a  great  measure,  also,  on  the  co-operation  of  a  part  of  the 
Assembly,  and  on  the  population. 

All  his  expectations  deceived  him  :  he  sought  for  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Assembly  who  possessed  the  greatest  influence, 
and  sounded  the  intentions  of  Garat,  Lebrun,  and  Roland, 
ministers  of  justice,  of  foreign  affairs,  and  for  the  home  de- 
partment, who  entered  into  his  views;  the  non-execution  of 
which  was  prevented  by  the  perfidy  of  some  officers,  who 
divulged  the  secret.  The  unhappy  Louis  XVI.  perished. 

The  general  retired  to  the  country  during  those  horrible 
days  ;  and,  soon  after,  found  no  place  of  safety  but  at  the 
head  of  his  army.  He  had  now  no  hope  of  saving  his 


GENERAL    DUMOURIEZ. 

country,  nor  of  saving  other  illustrious  victims,  sacrificed  by 
the  monsters  who  governed  France.  His  army  was  alone 
capable  of  bringing  back  the  Revolution  to  its  proper  limits. 
But  the  Convention  had  ascertained  the  intentions  of  General 
Dumouriez,  and  dared  neither  to  dismiss  him,  nor  to  accept 
of  his  resignation,  which  he  offered  again  and  again  :  for  his 
soldiers  would  have  followed  him,  and  have  revenged  any  of 
his  wrongs.  They  endeavoured  to  destroy  the  love  his  troops 
bore  to  him,  as  well  as  the  confidence  they  put  in  him.  The 
commissariat  supplies  were  withheld,  the  invaded  provinces 
were  exhausted,  all  his  resources  were  diminished,  in  order 
to  encourage  insubordination,  and  to  prepare  for  the  over- 
throw of  this  great  general,  whose  renown  was  become  so 
alarming.  These  measures  were  publicly  acknowledged,  and 
put  into  execution  with  such  effect,  that,  in  spite  of  the  most 
prudent  precautions,  and  most  useful  combinations,  Dumou- 
riez failed  in  a  campaign,  which  might  have  been  most  im- 
portantly beneficial  to  France. 

General  Dumouriez  hastened  to  treat  with  the  Prince  of 
Coburg,  for  the  evacuation  of  Belgium,  and  very  soon  after 
obliged  him,  by  a  new  treaty,  to  respect  the  French  territory  ; 
whilst  he  himself  determined  to  lead  his  soldiers  to  the  capital, 
to  disperse  these  tyrannical  legislators,  to  save  the  family  of 
the  unfortunate  monarch,  and  to  re-establish  the  constitution 
of  1791.  The  anarchy  of  the  government  Was  to  be  reformed 
by  Frenchmen  alone ;  and  it  was  only  in  case  of  Dumou- 
riez's  want  of  sufficient  forces,  that,  at  his  demand,  the  Prince 
of  Coburg  was  to  furnish  what  he  should  require,  while  the 
remainder  of  the  army  of  the  enemy  should  remain  on  the 
frontiers. 

The  Convention  was  instantly  informed  of  all  by  treachery. 
They  summoned  the  general  to  their  bar  ;  and  sent  police- 
officers  to  arrest  him.  He  determined  upon  arresting  the 
police-officers  himself,  and  delivered  them  up  to  the  Prince 
of  Coburg,  as  hostages  and  guarantees  for  the  safety  of  the 
royal  family,  who  might  have  been  massacred  when  the. 


GENERAL    DUMOURIEZ. 

news  of  his  march  should  arrive.     At  least  one  victim  was 
saved. 

General  Dumouriez  issued  his  orders;  but  many  of  his 
Generals  neglected  to  execute  them,  and  some  even  refused. 
The  army,  to  which  the  Convention  had  sent  its  spies,  became 
disobedient  to  him  ;  the  brave  General  was  obliged  to  leave 
them,  and  to  take  refuge  at  the  head-quarters  of  the  enemy. 
The  Prince  of  Coburg,  full  of  loyalty,  wished  to  be  faithful 
to  his  engagements :  his  court  of  Vienna  interfered,  and 
ordered  him  to  pursue  his  operations ;  they  even  raised  Du- 
mouriez, and  gave  him  command.  "  No,  (replied  he  to  the 
Prince,)  no  —  it  was  not  that  you  promised  me  :  I  am  going 
away." — "And  whither  ?  (asked  the  Prince.)  You  are  in  safety 
here ;  while  they  have  offered,  by  a  decree,  300,000  francs  to 
whoever  shall  bring  your  head  to  the  Convention." — "  What 
care  I  for  that?  I  go  !" 

Dumouriez  found  an  asylum  in  Switzerland,  and  there  pub- 
lished a  volume  of  his  "  Memoirs,"  which  soon  obtained  him 
many  friends ;  but  Switzerland  was  too  near  France,  and  was 
about  to  yield  to  the  latter.  The  General  was  obliged  to  fly : 
he  went  to  Hamburg.  The  Landgrave  Charles  of  Hesse- 
Cassel,  father-in-law  of  the  King  of  Denmark,  bought  a 
mansion  in  Holstein,  of  which  he  was  the  governor;  furnished 
it,  placed  horses  and  a  carriage  in  the  stables,  4ind  went  in 
search  of  his  friend,  whom  he  conducted  to  this  retreat. 
"  This  is  yours  (said  he) :  I  am  sorry  it  is  not  in  my  power 
to  offer  you  more  than  a  pension  of  400  louis  !" 

When  Buonaparte  menaced  England  with  invasion,  Du- 
mouriez was  summoned  hither.  The  English  government 
received  him  with  generous  hospitality,  and  asked  his  counsel : 
he  arranged  a  plan  of  defence  for  every  part  of  Great  Britain, 
as  well  as  for  the  different  countries  of  Europe  where  the 
soldiers  of  the  French  emperor  had  raised  their  standards  , 
and  Spain,  with  which  he  was  well  acquainted,  owes  to  him  a 
portion  of  her  liberty. 

The  Restoration  was  not  effected  as  he  would  have  de- 
sired ;  nor  did  he  think  that  the  restored  acted  as  it  was  their 
VOL.  vn  i, 


GENERAL    DUMOURIEZ. 

duty  to  do.  He  proclaimed  this ;  and  the  consequence  was, 
that  he  was  not  allowed  to  take  that  position  in  France  which 
justly  belonged  to  him.  He  remained  therefore  in  England. 

The  Neapolitans  betrayed  his  confidence ;  but  the  Greeks 
have  been  endeavouring  to  carry  into  effect  the  counsels  he 
gave  them  eighteen  months  before  his  death,  in  two  Memoirs, 
in  which  all  the  energy  of  youth  is  united  to  all  the  prudence 
of  age.  And  for  Spain,  whose  invasion  he  condemned  and 
abhorred,  he  wrote  a  general  system  of  organization  and 
defence ;  but  when,  some  days  before  his  death,  a  friend 
asked  a  supplement  for  the  offensive  part,  he  replied,  "  No : 
pass  not  the  Pyrenees ;  my  country  is  beyond  them." 

An  illness  of  a  few  days,  unaccompanied  by  pain, — a  rapid 
physical  decline,  which  did  not  impair  his  fine  understand- 
ing,— bore  him  away,  in  the  midst  of  religious  consolations, 
from  the  arms  of  his  friends.  On  the  14th  of  March,  1823, 
he  rose  at  eight  o'clock.;  as  usual,  he  lay  down  at  twelve,  at 
the  desire  of  his  medical  attendant ;  and  breathed  his  last  at 
twenty-five  minutes  past  two,  aged  eighty-four  years,  and 
above  a  quarter. 

General  Dumouriez  was  short  in  stature,  but  well  formed ; 
his  countenance  was  agreeable ;  his  eyes  sparkled  with  bril- 
liancy, even  to  the  last :  he  was  full  of  kindness  and  gaiety ; 
and  his  mind  was  enriched  with  varied  and  extensive  know- 
ledge ;  he  understood  and  spoke  several  languages  :  his  spirit 
was  most  generous  —  so  generous  as  often  to  cause  embar- 
rassment ;  and  his  sensibility  often  found  vent  in  tears,  when 
calamity  was  reported  to  .him,  and  when  he  was  severed 
from  a  friend;  He  had  many  friends :  one  of  the  dearest, 
who  died  three  years  before  him,  and  of  whom  he  frequently 
spoke  with  tenderness,  was  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Kent. 

This  extraordinary  man  stood  at  one  period  of  his  life 
on  the  very  pinnacle  of  triumphant  glory.  His  feats  as  a 
warrior  fill  some  of  the  most  splendid  pages  of  modern  history  ; 
his  name  was  a  charm  which  gathered  round  it  the  enthu- 
siasm of  millions  ;  —  and  he  died  in  exile,  as  if  to  contrast  the 
clamorous  noise  of  popularity,  which  accompanied  his  early 


GENERAL    DUMOURIEZ. 

career,  with  the  calm  stillness  of  solitude  which  surrounded 
his  bed  of  death. 

General  Dumouriez's  remains  were  interred  at  Henley-on- 
Thames ;  in  the  church  of  which  place  a  handsome  monu- 
ment has  been  erected  to  his  memory,  with  the  following 
inscription  : 

Hie  jacet 

Tardara  expectans  patriae  justitiam, 

CAROLUS  FRANCISCUS  DUMOURIEZ, 

Qui  Cameraco  natus  Januarii  xxix.  die  A.D.  1739, 

Ingenio,  doctrina,  et  virtute  praeclarus, 

Ad  summum  militare  imperium, 

Fortitudine  et  prudentia  pervenit, 

Ludovici  XVI.,  consiliit  praefuit; 

Regem  et  Leges  in  rostris  eloquentia, 

In  castris  gladio,  patriam  et  libertatem 

*  Defendit. 

Nefandis  in  temporibus, 

JSis  Galliam  a  depopulation  et  servitute  servavit ; 
Sed  ad  ipsa  earn  servare  conans 

Proscriptus  est. 

Asylum  exuli  Germania  primum, 
*      Nobilem  postea  hospitalitatem  obtulit 

Britannia. 

Gratus  obiit  Turville 
Die  Martis  xiv.  A.D.  1823. 


No.  XII.. 
RIGHT  HON.  JOHN  EARL  OF  ST.  VINCENT, 

VISCOUNT  ST.  VINCENT,  AND  BARON  JERVIS ;  SECOND  ADMIRAL 
OF  THE  FLEET  ;  GENERAL  OF  THE  ROYAL  MARINES  ;  A  PRIVY 
COUNSELLOR  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN;  ONE  OF  THE  COUNCIL  OF 
STATE  FOR  THE  DUCHY  OF  CORNWALL  ;  KNIGHT  GRAND  CROSS 
OF  THE  MOST  HONOURABLE  MILITARY  ORDER  OF  THE  BATH; 
AND  OF  THE  PORTUGUESE  ORDER  OF  THE  TOWER  AND  SWORD  ; 
A  FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL  SOCIETY  ;  AND  ONE  OF  THE  ELDER 
BRETHREN  OF  THE  TRINITY  HOUSE. 

Motto  —  THUS. 

JLT  it  is  well  known,  that  the  naval   services  of  this  vener- 

», 

able  officer  raised  him  to  the  peerage,  and  to  the  elevated 
station  of  an  Admiral  of  the  Fleet.  He  was  descended  from 
James  Jervis,  of  Chathill,  in  the  county  of  Stafford,  who 
lived  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.,  and  whose  second  son 
William,  having  settled  at  Ollerton,  in  Shropshire,  was  the  an- 
cestor of  Swynfen  Jervis,  Esq.  of  Meaford,  in  the  county  of  Staf- 
ford, barrister  at  law,  for  some  time  counsel  to  the  Board  of 
Admiralty,  and  Auditor  of  Greenwich  Hospital,  who  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  George  Parker,  of  Park-Hall,  in  the 
same  county,  Esq.,  and  sister  of  the  Right  Hon.  Sir  Thomas 
Parker,  Knt,  Chief  Baron  of  the  Exchequer,  by  whom  he 
had  two  sons :  viz.  Willialn,  a  gentleman  usher  of  the  Privy 
Chamber  to  his  late  Majesty,  who  died  in  1813 ;  and  John,  the 
subject  of  his  memoir,  who  was  born  at  Meaford,  Jan.  9. 
1734,  O.  S. 

He  imbibed  the  rudiments  of  his  education  at  the  gram- 
mar-school of  Burton  upon  Trent,  and  was  originally  in- 
tended for  the  law  ;  but  evincing  a  decided  predilection  for 
the  sea-service,  at  ten  years  of  age  he  entered  the  navy,  a 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

step  to  which  the  prospects  held  out  by  his  father's  situation 
in  the  Admiralty  probably  contributed. 

In  1 748-9,  we  find  Mr.  Jervis  serving  as  a  midshipman  on 
board  the  Gloucester  of  50  guns,  bearing  the  broad  pendant 
of  the  Hon.  George  Townshend,  on  the  Jamaica  station. 
On  the  19th  Feb.  1755,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
lieutenant ;  and  not  long  afterwards,  a  war  with  France  ap- 
pearing inevitable,  he  was  selected  by  that  admirable  officer, 
the  late  Sir  Charles  Saunders  *,  to  serve  on  board  his  flag- 
ship, the  Neptune,  a  second  rate. 

In  the  memorable  expedition  sent  against  Quebec,  in  1759  f? 
Mr.  Jervis  accompanied  Sir  Charles  as  his  first  lieutenant, 
and  was  by  him  made  a  commander  in  the  Porcupine  sloop. 
The  operations  in  the  river  St.  Lawrence  having  terminated 
successfully,  our  officer  returned  to  England,  and  soon  after 
proceeded  to  the  Mediterranean  under  the  orders  of  his 
former  patron,  by  whom  he  was  appointed  acting  captain  of 
the  Experiment,  a  post  ship,  mounting  20  guns,  during  the 
indisposition  of  Sir  John  Strachan. 

In  this  vessel  Captain  Jervis  was  attacked  by  a  large  xebec, 
under  Moorish  colours,  mounting  26  guns  of  very  heavy 
calibre,  besides  a  considerable  number  of  swivels.  Her  crew, 
which  was  nearly  three  times  as  numerous  as  that  of  the 
Experiment,  was  French.  The  conflict,  though  furious,  was 
short ;  and  the  assailants  probably  considered  themselves  ex- 
tremely fortunate  in  being  able  to  effect  their  escape. 

Captain  Jervis  soon  after  returned  to  England,  and  on 
the  13th  Oct.  1760,  the  year  in  which  His  late  Majesty 
ascended  the  throne,  he  was  posted,  and  appointed  to  the 
Gosport,  of  40  guns.  Nothing  of  importance  occurred  until 
May  llth,  1762,  when  the  Gosport,  in  company  with  the 
Superb  of  74  guns,  Danae  frigate,  and  a  fleet  of  merchant- 
men bound  to  the  colonies,  fell  in  with  a  French  squadron  of 

*  Sir  Charles  Saunders  died  Dec.  7.  1775.  He  was  first  lieutenant  of  Com- 
modore Anson's  ship,  in  his  celebrated  expedition  to  the  Soutli  S^a. 

f  An  account  of  the  reduction  of  Quebec  will  be  found  in  vol.  ii.  of  Marshall's 
Royal  Naval  Biography,  under  the  head  of  Superannuated  Rear-admiral 
Chambers. 

fi  3 


230  EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

superior  force,  under  M.  de  Ternay,  having  on  board  1500 
troops,  destined  for  the  attack  of  Newfoundland.  The 
English  Commodore,  Rowley,  for  the  better  protection  of  his 
charge,  dropped  into  the  rear,  formed  his  line  of  battle,  and 
brought  to;  but  the  enemy  not  choosing  to  risk  an  action, 
hauled  his  wind,  and  made  off. 

The  Gosport  proceeded  to  Halifax,  and  from  thence,  in 
company  with  Lord  Colville's  squadron,  to  block  up  M.  de 
Ternay,  who  had  taken  possession  of  the  harbour  of  St.  John's, 
and  thrown  a  boom  across  its  entrance.  On  the  11  th  Sept. 
Colonel  Amherst  joined  the  Commodore  with  a  body  of  troops 
from  Louisbourg.  A  landing  was  immediately  effected  in 
Torbay,  about  three  leagues  from  St.  John's ;  the  enemy 
made  an  attempt  to  oppose  it,  but  was  repulsed  with  some 
loss.  On  the  16th,  a  strong  westerly  wind,  attended  by  a 
thick  fog,  forced  Lord  Colville  from  his  station  before  the 
harbour ;  of  which  M.  de  Ternay  availed  himself,  slipped  his 
cables,  and  stood  to  sea.  On  the  18th,  M.  de  Haussonville, 
the  commander  of  the  troops,  finding  that  he  was  deserted  by 
his  naval  colleague,  and  that  it  was  impossible  to  hold  out 
any  longer,  offered  terms  of  capitulation ;  which  being  ac- 
cepted, he  and  his  followers  became  prisoners  of  war. 

Captain  Jervis  returned  to  England  with  the  trade  from 
Virginia,  and  continued  to  command  the  Gosport,  principally 
on  the  home-station,  during  the  remainder  of  the  war.  He 
held  no  subsequent  command  till  the  year  1769,  when  being 
appointed  to  the  Alarm,  of  32  guns,  he  was  sent  with  con- 
gratulations to  the  Court  of  Naples  on  the  marriage  of  the 
king. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1 770,  being  at  Villa-Franca,  he 
had  the  honour  of  entertaining  on  board  his  ship  the  Due  de 
Chablais,  brother  to  the  King  of  Sardinia,  who  expressed  him- 
self highly  gratified  at  his  reception,  and  presented  Captain 
Jervis  with  a  diamond  ring,  enclosed  in  a  large  gold  snuff- 
box. He  also  distributed  several  watches  and  boxes  among 
the  officers,  and  left  a  large  sum  of  money  for  the  ship's 
company. 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT.  231 

It  may  not  be  unamusing  to  notice  an  occurrence,  which 
afforded  an  early  opportunity  of  showing  the  genius  and  pe- 
culiar character  of  Captain  Jervis.  The  Alarm  was  the  first 
ship  in  the  British  navy  that  was  coppered,  by  way  of  ex- 
periment, in  the  year  1761.  In  the  year  1772,  having  suf- 
ferred  some  damage  on  the  rocks,  she  sunk  at  her  anchors  in 
the  harbour  of  Marseilles.  The  French  officers,  with  the  ut- 
most kindness  and  attention,  offered  Captain  Jervis  every  sort 
of  assistance  to  raise  his  vessel;  which,  however,  with  many 
expressions,  of  gratitude  he  declined ;  and,  calling  his  crew 
together,  said,  "  My  lads,  we  are  in  a  foreign  port.  The  In- 
tendant  has  voluntarily  offered  me  any  number  of  men  I  may 
want,  for  the  purpose  of  weighing  the  Alarm,  which  offer  I  have 
declined.  It  is  necessaryjiere  to  show  what  we  are  able  to  do. 
We  must  weigh  her  ourselves."  He  did  not  deceive  himself. 
To  the  admiration  of  every  body,  the  Alarm  was  actually 
weighed  by  her  own  crew  alone.  To  M.  Pleville  de  Pelly, 
however,  at  that  time  a  lieutenant  in  the  French  marine,  and 
Intendant  of  Marseilles,  and  afterwards  Minister  of  the  Ma- 
rine to  the  French  Republic,  Captain  Jervis  expressed  him- 
self so  obliged  for  his  solicitude  on  the  occasion,  that  the 
British  Admiralty  forwarded  to  him  a  case,  containing  se- 
veral pieces  of  plate  richly  chased,  as  a  return  for  his  atten- 
tion. 

Captain  Jervis  remained  on  the  Mediterranean  station  till 
1774  in  which  year  he  was  appointed  to  the  Foudroyant,  of 
84-  guns ;  a  ship  originally  belonging  to  the  French,  and  cap- 
tured from  them  Feb.  1st,  1758,  by  the  Monmouth,  of  64- 
guns.  *  This  vessel  was  justly  considered  as  a  pattern  to  the 
rest  of  the  fleet,  in  point  of  discipline  and  good  order;  and 
so  much  was  she  extolled,  that  when  persons  of  distinction 
honoured  the  western  squadron  with  their  presence,  the  Fou- 
droyant was  always  the  ship  they  first  visited,  f 

*  The  Monmouth  was  commanded  by  Captain  Arthur  Gardiner,  who  died  of 
his  wounds  the  day  after  the  action. 

t  The  late  amiable  Duchess  of  Devonshire  had  nearly  lost  her  lite  on  an  oc- 
casion of  this  kind ;  for  when  the  fleet  lay  in  Torbay,  at  the  time  her  consort  was 
attending  his  duty  in  the  western  camp,  as  Colonel  of  the  Derbyshire  militia, 


KARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

Our  officer  continued  uninterestingly  employed  on  the  va- 
rious services  allotted  to  the  Channel  fleet,  till  June,  1778, 
on  the  18th  of  which  month  he  captured  the  Pallas,  French 
frigate,  of  32  guns  and  220  men.  Soon  after  this,  the  battle 
between  the  English  and  French  fleets,  under  the  respective 
commands  of  Keppel  and  D'Orvilliers,  was  fought ;  a  battle 
which,  from  the  peculiar  circumstances  that  attended  it,  was 
productive  of  more  party  clamour  and  acrimonious  invective, 
than  perhaps  any  other  event  in  our  naval  history.  On  the 
subsequent  trial  of  Admiral  Keppel,  in  January,  1779,  on 
four  charges  exhibited  against  him  by  Sir  Hugh  Palliser, 
Captain  Jervis  was  examined  as  a  witness.  The  evidence  he 
gave  was  spirited,  clear,  consistent,  and  decidedly  in  favour 
of  the  accused ;  of  whom  he  spoke  in  the  following  terms :  — 

"  During  the  whole  time  that  the  English  fleet  was  in 
sight  of  the  French  fleet,  he  displayed  the  greatest  naval  skill 
and  ability,  and  the  boldest  enterprise  upon  the  27th  of  July  ; 
which,  with  the  promptitude  of  Sir  Robert  Harland,  will  be 
subjects  of  my  admiration  and  imitation  as  long  as  I  live." 

From  the  evidence  given  upon  this  trial,  it  appears  that  the 
Foudroyant,  which  had  been  selected  by  Admiral  Keppel  as 
one  of  his  seconds,  and  which  got  into  her  station  about  three, 
and  never  left  it  till  four  the  next  morning,  was  as  closely 
engaged,  and  as  much  disabled,  as  any  ship  in  the  fleet.  Her 
mainmast  received  a  shot  very  near  through  the  head,  and 
which  lodged  in  the  cheek ;  another  which  passed  through  the 
heart  of  the  mast,  and  several  others  in  different  places.  Her 
foremast  also  received  several  shot.  A  large  excavation  was 
made  in  her  bowsprit,  near  the  centre.  The  fore-topmast  and 


she  determined  to  take  a  view  of  the  Foudroyant :  but  unfortunately,  as  Captain 
Jervis  was  leading  that  accomplished  ornament  of  the  British  court  from  Brix- 
ham  quay  to  the  barge  prepared  to  carry  her  on  board,  the  plank  over  which  they 
were  going  slipped,  and  thereby  gave 

«'  The  brightest  beauty  to  the  surly  wave !" 

On  being  taken  out  of  the  sea,  her  Grace  was  under  the  necessity  (Brixham 
being  a  wretched  fishing  town)  of  repairing  to  the  cot  of  an  old  woman,  with 
whom  she  exchanged  clothes,  and  those  of  the  Duchess  remained  in  the  posses- 
sion of  her  humble  hostess. 


EAIIL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

mizen-mast  were  totally  disabled.  Every  rope  of  her  running 
rigging  was  cut,  and  her  shrouds  were  demolished.  No 
braces  or  bowlines  were  left,  and  scarcely  any  halyards.  The 
forestay,  springstay,  and  topsail-ties  were  shot  away.  Her 
sails  also  were  very  much  shattered.  She  had  five  men  killed, 
and  eighteen  wounded. 

In  this  disabled  state,  the  Foudroyant  was  not  in  a  con- 
dition to  chase,  but  kept  her  station  next  the  Victory,  as  far 
to  windward  as  possible.  "  I  was  covetous  of  wind,"  said  her 
brave  commander,  "  because,  disabled  as  I  then  was,  I  con- 
ceived that  only  the  advantage  of  the  wind  could  carry  me 
again  into  action." 

After  the  resignation  of  Keppel,  the  command  was  succes- 
sively assumed  by  Sir  Charles  Hardy,  and  Admirals  Geary  and 
Darby ;  who  all  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  Captain  Jervis's 
spirit  and  attention. 

We  now  arrive  at  one  of  the  most  brilliant  actions  which 
had  occurred  during  the  American  war;  namely,  the  capture 
of  the  Pegase,  of  74«  guns  and  700  men,  commanded  by  the 
Chevalier  de  Cillart.  In  the  month  of  April,  1782,  Admiral 
Barrington  sailed  for  the  Bay  of  Biscay  with  twelve  sail  of  the 
line ;  and  on  the  20th,  when  within  a  short  distance  of  Ushant, 
discovered  an  enemy's  fleet.  A  general  chase  ensued;  and  at 
the  close  of  the  evening,  Captain  Jervis,  in  the  Foudroyant, 
had  so  far  outstripped  the  rest  of  the  squadron,  that  when 
night  came  on,  with  hazy  weather,  he  lost  sight  of  them 
entirely,  but  still  kept  a  full  view  of  the  enemy,  whom  he  pur- 
sued with  unremitting  vigour.  The  enemy's  fleet  consisted 
of  eighteen  sail,  laden  with  provisions  and  ammunition,  and 
containing  a  considerable  number  of  troops  for  the  supply  of 
the  French  fleet  and  forces  in  the  East  Indies ;  being  particu- 
larly destined  to  replace  the  convoy  which  had  been  taken  by 
Admiral  Kempenfelt  in  the  preceding  winter.  They  had  sailed 
from  Brest  only  the  day  before,  and  were  escorted  by  the 
Protecteur  and  Pe'gase,  of  74?  guns  each,  L'Actionaire,  a  two- 
decker  armed  enjlute,  and  a  frigate.  The  Foudroyant  gained 
so  fast  upon  the  chace,  that  it  was  evident  they  could  riot 


234-  EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

escape  without  an  engagement ;  the  convoy  was  therefore  dis- 
persed by  signal ;  and  the  two  seventy-fours  having  consulted 
together,  it  was  determined,  that,  as  the  Protecteur  had  a  large 
quantity  of  money  on  board,  she  should  make  the  best  of  her 
way;  and  that,  if  fighting  was  inevitable,  the  Pegase  should  abide 
the  consequence.  A  little  before  one  A.  M.  the  Foudroyant  came 
up,  and  was  closely  engaged  with  the  Pegase.  The  action 
was  extremely  fierce  whilst  it  lasted ;  but,  within  less  than  an 
hour  from  its  commencement,  Capain  Jervis  laid  the  French 
ship  aboard  on  the  larboard  quarter,  and  compelled  her  to 
strike.  Nothing  could  have  afforded  a  more  remarkable  in- 
stance of  the  decided  superiority  of  seamanship  and  discipline 
on  the  one  side,  and  of  the  great  effects  which  these  qualifica- 
tions produced  on  the  other,  than  the  circumstances  of  this 
gallant  action.  On  board  the  Pegase,  80  men  were  killed 
and  wounded  ;  the  hull,  masts,  and  yards  of  the  French  ship 
were  materially  injured ;  and  the  damage  she  sustained  was 
beyond  any  thing  that  could  have  been  supposed,  considering 
the  short  time  she  was  engaged ;  while  the  Foudroyant  received 
but  little  injury ;  not  a  man  was  killed ;  and  her  commander 
was  the  most  seriously  wounded  individual  on  board,  being 
struck  on  the  temple  by  a  splinter ;  which  so  severely  affected 
him,  as  for  a  time  to  endanger  his  eye-sight.  *  At  this  time 
the  sea  was  so  rough,  that  it  was  with  great*  difficulty  Captain 
Jervis,  with  the  loss  of  two  boats,  could  put  an  officer  and 
eighty  men  on  board  the  prize.  Soon  after  this  was  effected, 
the  Foudroyant  lost  sight  of  the  Pegase;  but  the  Queen 
fortunately  coming  up,  took  possession  of  her.  Admiral 
Barrington,  in  his  letter  to  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty  on 
the  occasion,  says :  — 

"  My  pen  is  not  equal  to  the  praise  that  is  due  to  the  good 
conduct  of  Captain  Jervis,  his  officers,  and  seamen,  on  this 
occasion;  Let  his  own  modest  narrative,  which  I  here  inclose, 
speak  for  itself." 

*  The  engagement  between  the  Foudroyant  and  the  P6gase  was  admirably 
depicted  by  Serres,  who  devoted  two  pictures  to  the  subject. 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT.  £35 

In  consequence  of  this  gallant  action.  Captain  Jervis,  on 
the  28th  of  May  following,  was  honoured  with  the  insignia  of 
a  Knight  of  the  Bath.  * 

In  the  month  of  October,  1782,  Sir  John  Jervis  accompa- 
nied Earl  Howe,  who  was  sent  with  a  powerful  fleet  to  re- 
lieve the  important  fortress  of  Gibraltar,  then  closely  pressed 
on  the  land  side  by  a  very  numerous  Spanish  army,  while  at 
the  same  time  the  combined  armaments  of  France  and  Spain, 
amounting  to  nearly  fifty  ships  of  the  line,  attempted  to  block 
it  up  by  sea.  In  the  skirmish  that  took  place  outside  the 
Gut,  after  the  object  of  the  expedition  had  been  accomplished, 
the  Foudroyant  had  four  men  killed  and  eight  wounded. 

Respecting  the  relief  of  Gibraltar,  it  has  been  justly  said, 
that  "  foreign  nations  acknowledge  its  glory,  and  every  future 
age  will  confirm  it.  Not  only  the  hopes,  but  the  fears  of  his 
country,  accompanied  Lord  Howe*  The  former  rested  upon 
his  consummate  abilities,  and  approved  bravery;  while  the 
latter  could  not  but  look  to  the  many  obstacles  he  had  to 
subdue,  and  the  superior  advantage  of  the  fleet  that  was  to 
oppose  him.  Nevertheless,  he  fulfilled  the  grand  objects  of 
the  expedition ;  the  garrison  of  Gibraltar  was  effectually  re- 
lieved, the  hostile  fleet  baffled'  and  dared  in  vain  to  battle; 
and  the  different  squadrons  detached  to  their  important  des- 
tinations ;  while  the  ardent  and  certain  hopes  of  his  country's 
foes  were  disappointed." 

Immediately  on  the  return  of  the  fleet  to  England,  Sir  John 
Jervis  was  chosen  to  command  a  small  squadron  destined  on 

*  When  Captain  Jervis  took  the  Pegase,  the  French  commander  wrote  to  the 
Minister  of  the  Marine,  pretending  to  give  an  account  of  the  transaction ;  and 
having  shewn  the  letter  to  Captain  Jervis,  asked  his  opinion :  —  the  latter  replied, 
that  he  saw  but  one  objection,  namely,  "that  not  one  word  of  it  was  true." 
"Mais,"  said  the  Frenchmen,  "il  faut  se  justifier."  He  therefore  sent  the 
letter,  and  very  soon  after  his  arrival  at  Brest  was  publicly  and  ignominiously 
dismissed  from  the  naval  service.  It  was  from  the  circumstances  of  his  action 
with  the  Pegase  that  Sir  John  Jerris  chose  to  select  the  supporters  of  his 
shield  of  honour.  On  the  dexter  side  appears  the  eagle  with  wings  elevated,  and 
the  thunder  of  Jove,  representing  the  Foudroyant;  and  on  the  sinister,  the 
offspring  of  Medusa,  the  Pegasus,  which  he  had  vanquished. 


236  EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

a  secret  expedition.  He  accordingly  quitted  the  Foudroyant, 
and  hoisted  a  broad  pendant  on  board  the  Salisbury,  of 
50  guns ;  but  it  was  soon  after  hauled  down  in  consequence 
of  the  sudden  cessation  of  hostilities.  * 

About  this  period.  Sir  John  Jervis  was  chosen  representa- 
tive in  parliament  for  the  borough  of  Launceston,  in  Corn- 
wall;  and  at  the  general  election  in  1784*,  he  was  returned 
for  the  town  of  North  Yarmouth,  and  soon  distinguished  him- 
self by  opposing  an  expensive  plan,  which  was  then  in  agi- 
tation, for  fortifying  the  dock-yards ;  not  only  as  a  member  of 
parliament,  but  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  officers,  which 
was  convened  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  the  propriety  of 
the  measure.  He  also  gave  a  firm  support  to  every  proposal 
which  he  thought  calculated  to  advance  the  good  of  the 
service,  or  the  welfare  of  his  brother-officers. 

Sir  John  Jervis  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Rear- Admiral, 
Sept.  24.  1787;  and  on  the  21st  of  September,  1790,  to  that 
of  Rear- Admiral  of  the  White. 

A  dispute  with  the  court  of  Spain  relative  to  Nootka  Sound 
making  a  rupture  probable,  a  formidable  armament  was 
equipped,  and  the  chief  command  given  to  Admiral  Barring- 
ton.  On  this  occasion,  Sir  John  readily  accepted  the  honour- 
able station  of  Captain  of  the  Fleet,  under  his  old  friend  and 
commander.  But  the  storm  dispersing,  Admiral  Harrington 
struck  his  flag  in  November,  and  Sir  John  hoisted  his  own 
flag  on  board  the  Prince,  of  98  guns ;  but  the  appearance  of 
peace  continuing,  he  soon  followed  the  example  of  his  su- 
perior officer. 

During  this  short  period,  his  quarter-deck  was  full  of  young 
gentlemen  cadets  of  some  of  the  first  families  in  the  kingdom, 
who  made  the  greatest  interest  to  place  them  as  midshipmen 
with  so  distinguished  a  commander.  On  the  reduction  of 
the  armament,  each  flag-officer  then  employed  was  indulged 
by  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty  with  permis- 

*  The  preliminary  articles  of  peace  between  Great  Britain,  France,  Spain, 
and  America,  were  signed  at  Versailles,  Jan.  20.  1783. 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCEN7T. 

sion  to  recommend  a  lieutenant  and  midshipman  for  pro- 
motion. As  many  of  those  gentlemen  had  passed  their  ex- 
amination, each  flattered  himself  in  proportion  to  his  high 
connections,  that  he  should  be  the  fortunate  individual.  To 
the  great  surprise  and  disappointment  of  the  rest,  however, 
Sir  John  selected  a  young  man,  the  son  of  an  old  lieutenant, 
and  wrote  him  the  following  letter :  — 

"  Sir, 

"  I  named  you  for  the  lieutenant  I  was  allowed  to  promote, 
because  you  had  merited  the  good  opinion  of  your  superiors,  and 
that  you  were  the  son  of  an  old  officer,  and  worthy  man,  in  no 
great  affluence :  a  steady  perseverance  in  that  conduct  which  has 
caused  you  to  be  thus  distinguished  is  the  most  likely  means  to 
carry  you  forward  in  the*  profession ;  for  I  trust  other  officers 
of  my  rank  will  observe  the  maxim  I  do  —  to  prefer  the  sons  of 
brother-officers,  when  deserving,  before  any  others. 

"  I  am,  Sir, 

"  Your  humble  Servant, 
"  Rochetts,  Dec.  24%  1790."  "  JOHN  JERVIS." 

At  the  general  election  which  took  place  in  May,  1 790,  the 
Rear-Admiral  was  chosen  member  of  parliament  for  Chipping 
Wycombe,  which  borough  he  represented  till  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war  with  the  French  Republic.  As  a  senator, 
the  zeal  with  which,  at  that  time,  he  opposed  a  romantic,  ex- 
travagant, and  most  expensive  scheme  for  fortifying  the  dock- 
yards, affords  a  lasting  proof  of  his  attention  to  the  honour  of 
the  service ;  and  his  humane  exertions  on  the  part  of  a  brother- 
officer,  exhibit  a  no  less  strong  regard  to  its  worldly  interests.  * 

When  war  broke  out,  Sir  John  Jervis  vacated  his  seat,  and 
accepted  the  command  of  a  squadron,  destined  to  co-operate 


*  The  very  interesting  debate  which  arose  in  the  House  of  Commons,  in 
consequence  of  Captain  David  Brodie,  a  most  distinguished  officer,  being  passed 
over  at  a  general  promotion,  particularly  demands  the  attention  of  every  indi- 
vidual belonging  to  the  naval  profession.  It  forms  an  admirable  eulogy  on  the 
brave  officer  who  is  now  no  more ;  and  elucidates  some  of  the  most  brilliant  parts 
of  his  public  conduct.  See  Naval  Chronicle,  vol.  iii.  p.  100. 


238  EARL    OP    ST.  VINCENT. 

with  General  Sir  Charles  Grey  in  the  reduction  of  the  French 
West  India  Islands.  * 

In  this  toilsome  service,  with  the  most  formidable  difficul- 
ties to  encounter,  the  spirit  and  perseverance  of  these  brave 
commanders  were  pre-eminently  conspicuous ;  and  the  London 
Gazette  Extraordinary,  in  the  month  of  April,  1794,  an- 
nounced the  important  intelligence,  that,  on  the  16th  March 
preceding,  the  whole  island  of  Martinique  had  been  captured 
from  the  French,  excepting  the  forts  Bourbon  and  Royal, 
which  were  then  closely  besieged ;  and,  on  the  26th  of  the 
same  month,  dispatches  were  received,  containing  intelligence 
of  the  complete  subjugation  of  that  valuable  colony. 

This  success  proved  the  prelude  to  as  speedy  a  reduction 
of  St.  Lucia  and  Guadaloupe;  but,  in  consequence  of  the 
sickness  of  the  troops,  and  want  of  a  sufficient  reinforcement, 
these  conquests  could  not  be  retained. 

Sir  John  Jervis  returned  home  from  this  expedition  with 
his  health  considerably  injured,  and  very  much  emaciated 
from  the  effects  of  the  yellow  fever,  and  arrived  at  Plymouth 
Jan.  11.  1795.  No  sooner  had  he  landed  in  his  native 
country,  than  complaints  were  sent  to  the  government  against 
himself  and  Sir  Charles  Grey,  for  injustice  and  extortion  in 
the  performance  of  their  duty.  These  complaints  were 
forcibly  urged,  and  eagerly  listened  to  in  parliament,  where  it 
was  asserted  that  the  loyal  inhabitants  of  Martinique  and 
Guadaloupe  had  been  plundered  of  their  private  property  by 
the  Admiral  and  General,  the  legality  of  whose  proceedings 
was  severely  questioned.  It  was  long  before  the  mind  of  Sir 
John  Jervis  was  at  ease  on  this  subject ;  and  we  find  him 
addressing  letters  to  his  Majesty's  ministers,  complaining  of 
persecutions  which  threatened  him  with  ruin.  The  facts  are 
simply  as  follows :  — 

On  the  reduction  of  the  islands  by  force  of  arms,  and  after 
many  severe  contests,  all  public  property  was  justly  claimed 

*  A  faithful  and  curious  account  of  the  campaign  in  the  West  Indies,  ac- 
companied by  many  official  documents,  and  several  handsome  illustrative  prints 
in  aquatinta,  copied  from  drawings  made  on  the  spot,  was  afterwards  published 
by  the  late  Rev.  Coper  Willyams,  the  admiral's  chaplain. 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT.  239 

for  the  captors ;  from  this  much  was  attempted  to  be  rescued 
as  belonging  to  private  individuals;  in  some  instances  their 
demands  were  acceded  to,  but  British  generosity  in  this  as  in 
all  similar  instances  was  shamefully  imposed  on.  The  French 
settlers,  assisted  by  many  Englishmen  of  the  neighbouring 
islands,  endeavoured  to  cover  colonial  produce,  as  being  really 
British  property  bought  previous  to  its  seizure ;  but  this  being 
strongly  resisted,  the  claimants  came  to  a  compromise,  and 
agreed  to  pay  a  certain  sum  to  the  captors  as  a  compensation. 
Unable  to  evade  the  payment,  they  urged  these  complaints  to 
the  British  nation,  and  many  believed  them  to  be  well  found- 
ed. We  know  that  they  originated  in  fraud,  and  rejoice  to 
say,  that  the  wisdom  of  parliament  decided  that  the  Admiral 
and  General  had  done  nd  more  than  their  duty.  From  the 
moment  of  the  departure  of  these  officers,  the  affairs  of  the 
Caribbee  islands  went  to  ruin. 

Sir  John  Jervis  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Admiral  of 
the  Blue,  June  1st,  1795  ;  and  about  the  same  period  had  the 
misfortune  to  lose  all  his  luggage  by  the  burning  of  his  late 
flag-ship,  the  Boyne.  * 

As  soon  as  his  health  was  sufficiently  re-established,  our 
indefatigable  officer,  who  had  in  the  intermediate  time  re- 
ceived the  thanks  of  parliament,  and  the  freedom  of  the  city 
of  London,  for  the  eminent  and  distinguished  services  he  had 
rendered  to  his  country  during  the  West  Indian  campaign, 
was  appointed  to  succeed  Admiral  Hotham  in  command  of 
the  fleet  stationed  in  the  Mediterranean.  He  accordingly 
proceeded  thither  in  the  Lively  frigate ;  and  on  his  arrival 
hoisted  his  flag  on  board  the  Victory,  of  100  guns. 

The  naval  command  in  the  Mediterranean  was  at  this  time 
the  most  important,  in  point  of  extent  and  responsibility,  of 
any  under  the  British  government. 

The  enemy  had  a  very  large  fleet  at  their  disposal ;  and  the 
armies  of  the  French  Republic  having  entered  Spain  on  the 

*  An  account  of  this  calamitous  accident  will  be  found  under  the  head  of  Com- 
missioner Sir  George  Grey,  in  the  second  volume  of  Marshall's  Royal  Naval 
Biography. 


EAUL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

side  of  Rousillon,  that  weak  and  corrupt  government  was  in- 
duced to  abandon  the  cause  of  the  coalesced  powers,  and  join 
itself  to  the  murderers  of  Louis  XVI.  and  his  unfortunate  fa- 
mily :  a  disregard  of  every  moral  obligation  which  was  punished 
in  the  sequel,  both  by  France  and  by  England.  Spain,  as  an 
enemy  at  sea,  our  sailors  at  once  wished  for,  on  account  of  her 
wealth,  and  despised  for  her  want  of  skill :  the  exclusion  of  our 
ships  from  her  ports  was  compensated  by  the  capture  of  her 
valuable  South- American  and  West  Indian  trade ;  but  when 
her  fleets  came  to  be  united  to  those  of  France,  they  formed  a 
mass,  before  which  even  the  courage  and  talent  of  Sir  John 
Jervis  were  compelled  to  retreat.  This  state  of  things,  however, 
did  not  long  continue ;  and,  if  for  a  short  period  we  quitted 
the  Mediterranean,  it  was  only  to  return  with  redoubled  force, 
and  to  add  fresh  laurels  to  the  naval  and  military  fame  of 
Great  Britain.  Never  did  the  station  of  an  admiral  require 
a  greater  exercise  of  skill  and  judgment ;  and  never,  perhaps, 
were  the  King  and  country  more  ably,  zealously,  and  honour- 
ably served  and  defended. 

The  foresight  of  Sir  John  Jervis,  in  providing  for  the  most 
distant  contingencies ;  his  retreat  down  the  Mediterranean, 
from  Corsica,  with  the  Smyrna  fleet  in  tow ;  his  alleviation  of 
the  horrors  of  war,  whenever  it  lay  in  his  power  to  alleviate 
them;  his  attention  to  the  sick,  to  prisoners,  and,  generally,  to 
the  unfortunate ;  the  weight  of  his  responsibility,  but  his  dis- 
regard of  all  personal  consideration ;  his  enmity  on  every 
occasion  to  the  corrupt  application  of  the  public  money  ;  his 
acuteness  in  discerning,  and  liberality  in  rewarding  talent ;  the 
promptitude  of  hisorders  to  pursue  the  enemy,  and  his  judicious 
selection  of  men  to  execute  those  orders;  the  husbanding  of 
his  resources;  his  bold  and  determined  attack  on  the  Spanish 
fleet,  with  little  more  than  half  their  numerical  force ;  and, 
within  three  months  after,  the  suppression  of  a  dangerous 
mutiny  in  his  fleet :  —  these,  and  many  other  important  facts 
and  considerations,  shew  the  character  of  the  man,  and 
hold  him  up  to  future  ages  as  an  example  of  a  great  com- 
mander. 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

A  long  expected  reinforcement  having  joined  Sir  John 
Jervis  at  Lisbon,  early  in  February,  1797,  he  lost  no  time  in 
proceeding  off  Cadiz,  for  the  purpose  of  encountering  the  Spa- 
nish Admiral  Don  Josef  de  Cordova,  then  on  his  way  to  that 
port  from  Carthagena,  with  a  fleet  consisting  of  27  sail  of  the 
line,  12  frigates,  and  a  brig,  whilst  the  British  squadron  con- 
sisted of  only  15  line-of-battle  ships,  three  frigates,  and  three 
smaller  vessels. 

At  the  dawn  of  day,  on  the  14th  of  the  same  month,  the 
enemy  were  discovered  off  Cape  St.  Vincent,  and  Sir  John 
Jervis  soon  after  communicated  to  the  squadron  his  intention 
of  cutting  through  their  line.  Captain  Troubridge,  in  the 
Culloden,  was  ordered  to  lead  the  van.  This  gallant  officer 
opened  his  fire  on  the  Spatiish  ships  to  windward,  which  effect- 
ually separated  the  sternmost  and  leewardmost  from  the  main 
body,  then  tacked,  and  thus  prevented  their  rejunction.  The 
British  commander  having  his  fleet  in  two  lines  of  sailing,  and 
in  very  close  order,  readily  formed  it  into  one,  to  complete  the 
intended  movement.  As  soon  as  Captain  Troubridge  had 
succeeded  in  passing  through  the  enemy's  fleet,  he  gave  his 
starboard  broadside  to  the  nearest  of  their  ships,  at  the  same 
time  heaving  in  stays  :  his  example  was  followed  by  the  van 
of  our  fleet,  and  thus  the  action  became  nearly  general,  by  the 
British  ships  coming  on  the  same  tack  with  those  of  Spain. 
The  battle  faegan  about  noon,  and  lasted  till  near  five  o'clock 
P.M.,  when  four  sail  of  the  line,  two  of  their  first  rates,  one 
of  84-  guns,  and  a  74,  remained  in  our  possession.  The  par- 
ticular details  of  this  memorable  day  deserve  serious  attention ; 
first,  from  the  superior  numbers ;  secondly,  from  the  pecu- 
liarly unfavourable  aspect  of  political  events  at  the  time; 
and,  lastly,  as  affording  some  of  the  finest  instances  of  the 
superiority  of  British  officers  and  seamen  over  their  enemy  on 
the  ocean. 

From  this  day  the  old  fashion  of  counting  the  ships  of  an 
enemy's  fleet,  and  calculating  the  disparity  of  force,  was  en- 
tirely laid  aside,  and  a  new  era  may  be  said  to  have  com- 
menced in  the  art  of  war  at  sea.  Sir  John  Jervis  observes,  in 

VOL.  VIII.  11 


EARL   OF    ST.  VINCENT. 


his  public  letter,  "  that  he  knew  the  skill  and  valour  he  had 
to  depend  upon,  and  also  that  the  honour  of  His  Majest/s 
arms,  and  the  circumstances  of  the  war  in  those  seas,  required 
a  considerable  degree  of  energy."  No  time  was  therefore  lost 
in  deliberation ;  the  enemy  was  in  sight,  and  was  to  be  beaten* 
To  the  gallant  chief  immortal  honour  is  due,  for  not  despair- 
ing of  his  country  ;  the  expectations  formed  of  him  were  as 
fully  realized  as  those  he  had  himself  justly  formed  of  his  com- 
panions in  arms;  — justly,  for,  on  reading  the  list  of  his  fleet, 
it  will  be  evident,  that  he  had  with  him  what  he  called  the 
"  tlite"  of  the  British  navy.  * 

Commodore  Nelson,  who  had  hoisted  his  broad  pendant  in 
the  Captain,  just  before  the  commencement  of  the  battle,  after 
performing  prodigies  of  valour,  lost  his  fore-top  mast,  and  in 

*  The  British  squadron  consisted  of  the  following  ships,  whose  names  are  given 
according  to  the  order  in  which  they  were  formed  previous  to  the  commencement 
of  the  action  on  the  14th. 


Culloden 
Blenheim 


Guns. 

74  - 
98  - 


98  . 


-  Captain  Thomas  Troubridge,  since  drowned. 

-  -     -  -  Thomas  Lenox  Frederick,  deceased. 
_  f  Rear  Admiral  William  Parker,  deceased. 

"  \  Captain  John  Irwin,  deceased. 
74  .    .    .    .    .  Sir  James  Saumarez,  now  an  Admiral,  and 

a  G.C.B. 

74  .....   George  Martin,  ditto. 
74  -----  George  Murray,  deceased. 

f  Admiral  Sir  John  Jervis,  K.B. 
100  -    -•<  First  Captain,  Robert  Calder,  deceased. 

£  Second  Captain,  George    Grey,  now  Commissioner 

of  Portsmouth  Dock  Yard. 
C  Vice- Admiral  Hon.  W.  Waldegrave. 
98  -     -  •<      (Now  Lord  Radstock,  an  Admiral,  and  a  G.C.B.) 

C  Captain  James  Richard  Dacres,  deceased. 
74  -     -     -    -    -  Sir  Charles  H.  Knowles,  Bart., now  an  Ad- 
miral, and  a  G.C.B. 

74  .     -    -     -     -  John  Sutton,  now  an  Admiral,  and  a  K.C.B. 
10O  5  Vice- Admiral  Charles  Thompson,  deceased, 

I  Captain  Thomas  Foley,  now  a  Vice- Admiral,  and  a 

G.C.B. 

98  -----  James  Hawkins  Whitshed,  now  an  Admiral, 
and  a  K.C.B. 

74 Ralph  Willet  Miller,  since  blown  up. 

64  .....  George  Henry  Towry,  deceased. 
74  -    -     -    -    -  Cuthbert  Collingwood,  deceased. 

With  the  Lively,  Niger,  and  Southampton  frigates,  two  sloops  of  war,  and  a 
cutter. 


Prince  George 
Orion 

Irresistible 
Colossus 

Victory 


Barfleur 
Goliath 

Egmont 
Britannia 

Namur 

Captain 
Diadem 
Excellent 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT.  243 

this  situation,  passed  close  under  the  lee  of  the  Spanish  ship 
San  Nicholas,  of  84  guns,  which  was  at  the  same  time  foul  of 
the  San  Josef,  of  1 1 2  guns,  both  of  which  ships  had  been 
severely  beaten  by  their  opponents.  As  the  San  Nicholas 
took  the  wind  out  of  the  Captain's  sails,  Nelson,  with  a  pre- 
sence of  mind  which  he  seems  to  have  possessed  beyond  all 
other  men,  ordered  the  helm  to  be  put  a-lee,  and  with  what 
little  way  he  had,  ran  on  board  the  Spaniard.  A  party  of 
the  69th  regiment,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Pear- 
son, were  at  this  time  doing  duty  as  marines  on  board  the 
Captain.  Nelson  called  them  and  his  boarders,  with  Mr. 
Berry,  his  First  Lieutenant,  (now  a  Rear-Admiral,  Baronet, 
and  K.C.B.)  and  the  whole  of  them  rushed  on  board  the  San 
Nicholas,  and  carried  her,  with  some  loss;  and  from  her 
proceeded,  with  the  same  determination,  to  the  San  Josef, 
where  the  astonished  Spaniards  called  for  quarter,  and  the 
captain  of  that  ship  presented  on  his  knee  the  sword  of  his  ad- 
miral, who,  having  been  desperately  wounded,  could  not  de- 
liver it  in  person.  * 

In  the  mean  time,  Sir  John  Jervis,  in  the  Victory,  followed 
by  Vice-Admiral  Waldegrave,  passed  close  under  the  stern 
of  the  Salvador  del  Murido,  of  1 12  guns,  and  gave  her  two  or 
three  broadsides,  which  effectually  silenced  and  disabled  her. 
The  Santissima  Trinidad,  a  ship  with  four  complete  decks  of 
guns,  besides  her  poop,  was  engaged  by  many  of  the  British 
ships  in  succession,  and  finally  struck  to  the  Orion ;  but  Sir 
James  Saumarez  being  unable  to  take  possession  of  her,  she 
ultimately  escaped. 

If  we  estimate  the  merits  and  value  of  this  action  only  by 
the  numerical  loss  of  the  enemy,  we  shall  form  a  very  inade- 
quate notion  of  its  importance.  France,  from  this  period,  no 


*  It  is  said,  that  when  Nelson's  conduct  was  pointed  out  to  Sir  John  Jervis,  he 
replied,  "  He  is  right:  Nelson  sees  most  of  the  game;  hoist  the  signal  to  follow 
Nelson."  After  the  battle,  he  received  the  gallant  Commodore  on  the  quarter- 
deck of  the  Victory,  took  him  in  his  arms,  said  he  could  not  sufficiently  thank 
him,  and  insisted  on  his  keeping  the  sword  of  the  Spanish  Admiral,  which  he  had 
so  bravely  won.  This  trophy  Nelson  presented  to  the  city  of  Norwich. 

B    2 


344  EARL    OP    ST.  VINCENT. 

longer  relied  on  the  assistance  of  Spain.  Jealousy  was  sown 
between  the  two  countries.  The  Spaniards  became  the 
friends  of  Britain,  and  the  secret  enemies  of  the  Republic.  * 

*  The  following  curious  and  amusing  correspondence,  between  the  French  am- 
bassador and  the  Spanish  minister,  was  one  consequence  of  the  British  victory  :  — 

MEMORIAL  presented  by  the  French  ambassador,  Citizen  Perinon,  to  the  Spanish 
minister  at  Madrid,  Don  Godoy,  relative  to  the  victory  obtained  by  Earl 
St.  Vincent,  over  the  fleet  of  Spain,  on  the  14th  of  February,  1797 :  trans- 
lated by  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  for  the  express  information  of  Earl  St.  Vincent. 

"  The  French  Directory  having  heard,  with  astonishment  and  surprize,  the 
unexpected  issue  of  the  naval  engagement  between  His  Catholic  Majesty's  squad- 
ron and  the  English,  I  am  commanded,  by  an  express  just  come  to  my  hand,  im- 
mediately to  lay  before  His  Majesty  the  true  motives  that  have  contributed  to  the 
malign  loss  which,  with  remarkable  disgrace  to  its  honour,  the  Spanish  flag  has 
experienced. 

"  I,  most  excellent  Sir,  am  well  persuaded  that  your  Excellency's  justice  and 
rectitude  will  not  permit  those  false  reports  to  reach  the  King's  ears,  by  which  a 
detestable  policy  would  willingly  disguise  so  shameful  an  action,  by  confounding 
virtue  and  guilt  with  a  view  to  impunity  :  but,  lest  under  this  misfortune  the 
King  should  incline  to  receive  an  impression  from  the  false  excuses  which,  in  such 
circumstances,  the  culpable  are  industrious  in  framing,  I  shall  not  do  justice  to 
the  confidence  with  which  I  am  honoured  by  my  nation,  if  I  do  not  refute,  in 
His  Majesty's  presence,  as  many  as  attempt  to  confound  truth  with  false- 
lx>od.  Before  that  moment  arrives,  the  Executive  Directory  ordered  me  to  give 
your  Excellency  this  information,  that  you  may  carry  it  up  to  the  King.  The 
arms  of  Spain  have  at  all  times  supported  the  character  of  distinguished  valour, 
talent,  and  military  skill,  which  is  peculiar  to  them :  only  in  the  late  days  have 
they  degenerated  —  causing  all  Europe  to  change  its  sentiments  respecting  that  su- 
periority, which  Spain  was  in  possession  of  for  ages.  It  is  the  infirmity  of  govern- 
ments to  be  seized  with  certain  cancers,  which  contaminate  and  corrupt  the  state. 
To  save  the  body  politic  from  perishing,  caustics  and  the  knife  must  extirpate  the 
root  of  this  pernicious  weed.  The  navy,  most  excellent  Sir,  has  given  us  an  evi- 
dent proof  of  this  irrefragable  truth.  They,  in  place  of  humbling  the  English 
pride,  which  had  begun  to  decline  from  the  high  opinion  to  which  she  was  elevated 
by  her  natural  haughtiness,  has  raised  her  insolence  to  a  height  unparalleled. 
From  this,  so  powerful  a  cause,  commerce,  the  basis  of  your  monarchy,  is  going  to 
suffer  an  irreparable  loss.  The  whole  nation  detests  the  vile  proceedings  oft 
the  navy,  and  weeps  with  respectful  apprehensions  for  the  misfortunes  that  must 
ensue. 

"  The  squadron  would  not  fight  (let  us  withdraw  the  veil  from  treason).  They 
have  bartered  and  compromised  the  national  honour :  so  it  has  been  made  ap- 
pear to  the  Directory,  by  authentic  and  sure  documents.  That  Directory,  ever 
watchful  for  the  honour  of  her  allies,  cannot  see  with  indifference  such  turpitude, 
tending  to  produce  the  most  pernicious  and  fatal  consequences. 

"  I,  most  excellent  Sir,  in  the  name  of  the  Directory,  entreat  your  Excellency 
to  dispose  the  mind  of  the  King  with  inflexible  resolution  to  chastise  this  enor- 
mity, stifling  for  a  moment  the  dictates  of  paternal  affection. 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT.  *  245 

The  gloom  which  had  overspread  the  country  was  dispelled 
by  the  news  of  this  glorious  victory,  which  was  communicated 
by  Sir  John  Jervis  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty,  in  the 


"  The  undersigned  entertains  this  hope,  and  that  your  Excellency  will  be 
pleased  to  give  an  answer  to  this  Memorial,  that  it  may  be  transmitted  to  the 
Directory. 

(Signed)  "  PERINON." 

Answer  of  the  Spanish  minister  to  the  Memorial,  or  Remonstrance,  presented  by 
Citizen  Perinon,  French  ambassador  at  Madrid,  upon  the  defeat  of  the  Spanish 
fleet,  off  Cape  St.  Vincent,  by  the  British  fleet. 

"  Citizen  Ambassador, 

"  I  have,  with  great  reluctance,  laid  before  the  King  the  heads  and  purport  of 
the  Memorial  presented  by  your  Excellency,  in  the  name  of  the  Directory  of  the 
French  Republic.  I  say  the  heads  of  that  Memorial ;  because  the  language  it 
contained  is  couched  in  terms  so  offensive,  so  debasing,  and  so  insolent  to  the  ears 
of  a  free  people,  that  I  deemed  it  quite  inconsistent  with  the  dignity  of  my  station 
to  present  it  in  the  form  it  stands  to  an  independent  sovereign.  The  King,  Sir, 
laments,  with  great  sincerity,  the  unexpected  and  severe  loss  which  has  befallen 
His  Majesty's  arms,  in  the  late  engagement  with  the  British  fleet,  and  is  naturally 
led,  in  support  of  his  own  honour,  as  well  as  the  honour  of  the  Spanish  nation,  to 
make  becoming  enquiry  into  the  cause  of  that  misfortune  ;  but  he  will  not  suffer 
for  a  moment  the  Directory  of  the  French  Republic,  nor  any  foreign  power  what- 
ever, to  assume  a  privilege  of  interference,  in  the  smallest  degree,  with  the  con- 
cerns of  his  kingdom. 

"  It  is  true,  as  stated  in  the  Memorial  of  your  master,  that  the  naval  arms  of 
Spain  have  hitherto  been  eminently  distinguished  among  nations;  and  on  that  ac- 
count any  humiliation  at  sea  is  felt  with  the  greater  force  and  mortification  by 
His  Majesty  ;  but  it  cannot  but  seem  very  extraordinary  indeed  to  the  King,  and 
to  His  Majesty's  subjects  in  general,  that  the  loss  of  one  action  should  be  viewed 
as  a  matter  of  surprize  by  the  French  nation.  Surely,  Sir,  the  Directory  of  the 
French  Republic  are  not  unacquainted  with  the  reproach  of  a  naval  defeat.  They 
are  pleased  to  observe,  that  the  Spanish  flag  has  suffered  a  remarkable  disgrace  to 
its  honour  ;  and  that  they,  as  the  allies  of  His  Catholic  Majesty,  cannot,  with  in- 
difference, behold  such  turpitude.  Are  these  gentlemen  the  members  of  the 
same  assembly  who  embarked  on  board  your  fleet  on  the  three  memorable  days  of 
the  30th  and  31st  of  May,  and  the  1st  of  June,  1794?  Are  these  gentlemen  the 
commissioners  who  assumed  the  rank  and  station  of  naval  field-marshals  upon 
that  occasion  ;  who,  before  the  commencement  of  the  action  with  the  British  fleet, 
sent  a  frigate  with  an  insolent  message  to  each  ship  of  your  line,  viz.  that  the  com- 
missioners gave  positive  orders  to  the  separate  captains,  that  they  were  to  sink 
to  the  bottom  every  English  man-of-war,  only  excepting  the  Queen  Charlotte,  who 
carried  the  British  commander's  flag ;  out  of  their  mercy,  that  ship  they  were 
to  spare  —  but  they  were  to  bring  her  safe  into  the  harbour  of  Brest,  in  order  to 
grace  the  triumph  of  the  glorious  new  Republic;  but  who,  instead  of  performing 
this  act  of  heroism,  were  in  the  end  very  happy  to  make  their  escape  from  the 
cowardly  English,  with  the  loss  of  nine  capital  ships?  And  are  these  the  gentle- 

R  3 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

following  dispatch ;  published  in  the  London  Gazette  Extra- 
ordinary, on  the  3d  of  March,  1797. 

To  Evan  Nepaan,  Esq.,  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty. 
"  Sir,  Victory,  in  Lagos  Bay,  Feb.  16.  1797. 

"  The  hopes  of  falling  in  with  the  Spanish  fleet  expressed  in  my 
letter  to  you  of  the  13th  instant,  were  confirmed  that  night,  by 
our  distinctly  hearing  the  report  of  their  signal  guns,  and  by  in- 
telligence received  from  Captain  Foote,  of  His  Majesty's  ship  the 


men  who  are  prescribing  to  the  King  of  Spain  what  punishment  he  is  to  inflict 
upon  the  commanders  of  the  Spanish  fleet,  for  the  loss  of  a  battle,  while  the  Eng- 
lish have  in  their  possession,  at  this  moment,  the  one  half  of  their  navy  ?  We  did 
not  hear,  Sir,  of  any  punishment  proposed  by  the  Directory  for  the  defeat  of  your 
impregnable  fleet  on  the  1st  of  June.  On  the  contrary,  it  was  asserted,  in  that 
solemn  assembly,  that,  for  the  arms  of  France  even  to  meet  the  English  in  an 
action  at  sea,  was  of  itself  sufficient,  and  equal  to  a  victory.  I  am  stating  here 
to  Your  Excellency  the  history  of  three  only  of  the  naval  exploits  of  your  Repub- 
lic ;  but  almost  every  day  since  its  commencement  might  have  accustomed  the 
ears  and  eyes  of  your  Directory  to  the  turpitude  of  naval  defeats ;  therefore,  pre- 
vious to  Your  Excellency's  approaching  the  presence  of  His  Majesty,  where  you 
threaten  to  speak  your  opinion  of  the  guilt  of  the  officers  who  commanded  his  fleet, 
I  would  advise  you,  as  a  friend  and  an  ally,  to  balance  the  disgrace  of  the  two 
nations  —  to  take  in  one  hand  the  single  defeat  of  the  arms  of  Spain  off  the  Cape 
of  St.  Vincent's,  while  in  the  other  you  carry  the  various  defeats  and  disgraces 
that  have  befallen  the  navy  of  the  French  Republic  ever  since  the  commencement 
of  its  career,  and  see  which  weighs  heaviest. 

"  Your  Directory  will  then  be  convinced  that,  for  either  of  our  two  nations  to 
attempt  to  bring  reproach  on  the  other  for  their  inferiority  to  the  English  in  naval 
skill  and  courage,  "is  nothing  less  than  to  arraign  the  wisdom  of  the  Almighty 
Power,  who  has  thought  it  good  and  proper  to  grant  the  decided  superiority,  upon 
the  wide  and  extended  ocean,  to  that  brave  people. 

"  The  King,  my  master,  has,  in  the  mean  time,  commanded  me  to  signify  to  the 
members  of  the  French  Republic,  that,  whether  it  be  true  or  not  that  it  is  the  in- 
firmity of  governments,  as  they  say,  to  be  seized  with  certain  cancers,  which 
contaminate,  and  corrupt  the  state,  it  is  not  His  Majesty's  intention  to  follow  the 
example  of  degenerated  France,  by  applying  caustics  and  the  knife  to  remedy  that 
evil ;  for  which  reason  he  has  no  occasion  to  suspend,  even  for  a  moment,  the  dic- 
tates of  his  parental  affection  towards  the  subjects  of  his  own  states,  which  he  is 
more  than  ever  determined  to  cherish  and  cultivate  ;  being  firmly  persuaded,  by  his 
own  observation,  and  which  is  confirmed  to  him  by  the  historical  experience  of  all 
nations,  that  no  evil  can  be  so  great  as  to  submit  to  the  tyranny  and  oppression  of 
a  foreign  government,  nurtured  and  supported  by  the  very  dregs  of  the  lower 
orders  of  society. 

(Signed) '  "  GODOT." 


EARL    OF   ST.  VINCENT. 

Niger,  who  had  with  equal  judgment  and  perseverance,  kept  com- 
pany with  them  for  several  days,  on  my  prescribed  rendezvous, 
(which,  from  the  strong  south-east  wind,  j  had  never  been  able  to 
reach,)  and  that  they  were  not  more  than  the  distance  of  three  or 
four  leagues  from  us.  I  anxiously  awaited  the  dawn  of  day,  when 
being  on  the  starboard  tack,  Cape  St.  Vincent  bearing  east  by 
north,  eight  leagues,  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  a  number  of 
ships  extending  from  south-west  to  south.  At  forty-nine  minutes 
past  ten,  the  weather  being  extremely  hazy,  La  Bonne  Citoyenne 
made  the  signal  that  the  ships  seen  were  of  the  line,  twenty-five  in 
number.  His  Majesty's  squadron  under  my  command,  consisting 
of  fifteen  ships  of  the  line,  named  in  the  margin,  happily  formed 
in  the  most  compact  order  of  sailing,  in- two  lines.  By  carrying  a 
press  of  sail,  I  was  fortunate  in  getting  in  with  the  enemy's  fleet 
at  half  past  eleven  o'clock,  before  it  had  time  to  connect,  and  form 
a  regular  order  of  battle.  Such  a  moment  was  not  to  be  lost;  and, 
confident  in  the  skill,  valour,  and  discipline  of  the  officers  and  men 
I  had  the  happiness  to  command,  and  judging  that  the  honour  of 
His  Majesty's  arms,  and  the  circumstances  of  the  war  in  these 
seas,  required  a  considerable  degree  of  enterprize,  I  felt  myself 
justified  in  departing  from  the  regular  system;  arid,  passing  through 
their  fleet  in  a  line,  formed  with  the  utmost  celerity,  tacked,  and 
thereby  separated  one-third  from  the  main  body,  after  a  partial 
cannonade,  which  prevented  their  rej unction  till  the  evening,  and 
by  the  very  great  exertions  of  the  ships  which  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  arrive  up  with  the  enemy  on  the  larboard  tack,  the  ships 
named  in  the  margin  were  captured ;  and  the  action  ceased  about 
five  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

*  I  enclose  the  most  correct  list  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  of 
the  Spanish  fleet  opposed  to  me,  amounting  to  twenty-seven  sail 
of  the  line  ;  and  an  account  of  the  killed  and  wounded  in  his  Ma- 
jesty's ships,  as  well  as  in  those  taken  from  the  enemy.  The  mo- 
ment the  latter  (almost  totally  dismasted)  and  His  Majesty's  ships 
the  Captain  and  Culloden,  are  in  a  state  to  put  to  sea,  I  shall 
avail  myself  of  the  first  favourable  wind,  to  proceed  off  Cape  St. 
Vincent,  in  my  way  to  Lisbon. 

"  Captain  Calder,  whose  able  assistance  has  greatly  contributed 
to  the  public  service  during  my  command,  is  the  bearer  of  this, 
and  will  more  particularly  describe  to  the  Lords  Commissioners 
of  the  Admiralty  the  movements  of  the  squadron  on  the  J4?th,  and 
the  present  state  of  it. 

"  I  am,  Sir,  &c. 

"  J.  JERVIS." 
R  4 


24<S  EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

Sir  John  Jervis  received  the  thanks  of  both  Houses  of  Par- 
liament, and  His  Majesty  conferred  upon  him  the  title  of 
Earl  of  St.  Vincent,  the  scene  of  his  glory,  and  Baron  Jervis 
of  Meaford,  the  place  of  his  birth.  He  also  received  the  gold 
chain  and  medal,  and  a  pension  of  three  thousand  pounds  per 
annum.  *  On  being  informed  that  his  title  was  that  of  St. 
Vincent,  His  Lordship,  although  his  attachment  to  the  ancient 
borough  of  Great  Yarmouth  was  such,  that  he  was  at  first  de- 
sirous to  take  the  title  of  Earl  of  Yarmouth,  observed  that  he 
was  very  well  satisfied,  as  "  that  title  belonged  to  every  offi- 
cer and  seaman  of  his  fleet." 

The  vote  of  thanks  in  the  two  Houses  of  Parliament  was 
accompanied  with  the  most  grateful  acknowledgments  and  the 
highest  testimonies  of  approbation  from  the  most  distinguished 
members  on  both  sides.  In  the  House  of  Lords,  the  Duke 
of  Bedford  proposed,  as  the  victory  differed  from  every  other, 
the  introduction  of  an  amendment  expressive  of  its  charac- 
teristic distinction  ;  a  proposition  that  was  supported  by  his 
Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Clarence.  Subjoined  are  a  few 
of  the  observations  that  fell  from  some  of  the  leading  indivi- 
duals in  both  Houses  on  this  interesting  occasion. 

Earl  Spencer.  —  "  Sir  John  Jervis's  unremitting  exertions, 
his  indefatigable  activity,  and  his  judicious  management,  are  as 
conspicuous  as  the  glorious  event  with  which  they  have  been 
crowned  is  unparalleled.  His  conduct  throughout  the  whole 
has  been  such  as  to  stamp  him  one  of  the  greatest  commanders 
this  country  ever  produced;  while  the  superior  force  with 
which  he  had  to  contend  marks  the  victory  as  an  exploit  un- 
precedented in  the  history  of  this  country.  I  believe  it  is 
unparalleled,  and  I  am  sure  it  can  never  be  surpassed." 

*  Vice- Admiral  Thompson,  Rear- Admiral  Parker,  and  Captain  Calder, 
were  created  baronets;  the  honours  of  the  Irish  peerage  were  afterwards  conferred 
upon  Vice- Admiral  Waldegrave,  who  had  refused  a  Baronetcy ;  Commodore 
Nelson  received  the  insignia  of  the  most  honourable  military  order  of  the  Bath  ; 
the  thanks  of  both  Houses  of  Parliament  were  voted  to  the  fleet ;  and  gold  em- 
blematic medals  were  distributed  to  all  the  flag-officers  and  captains,  as  on 
similar  occasions. 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

The  Duke  of  Bedford. — "  It  is  impossible  to  expatiate  upon 
the  subject  of  the  glorious  victory  obtained  by  Sir  John  Jervis, 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  add  to  the  impression  which  every  one 
feels  that  it  is  indeed  an  exploit  unparalleled  in  the  annals  of 
this  country." 

The  Duke  of  Clarence. — "  I  have  examined  into  the  naval 
history  of  this  country,  and  find  that  at  the  battle  of  La  Hogue 
the  French  fleet  was  inferior  to  ours  in  number.  The  cir- 
cumstances of  the  present  action — the  disparity  of  force — fif- 
teen sail  against  twenty-seven  —  speak  for  themselves.  Ad- 
miral Boscawen,  in  1757,  destroyed  the  French  fleet;  in  1780, 
Admiral  Rodney  (with  whom  I  myself  served  in  a  very  inferior 
situation)  destroyed  the  Spanish  fleet;  but  in  this  engage- 
ment the  superiority  of  force  was  so  greatly  in  favour  of  the 
enemy,  that  it  is  distinguished  as  the  most  brilliant  victory  in 
the  naval  history  of  this  country,  and  the  most  decided  proof  of 
the  courage  and  vigour  of  our  seamen.  On  every  occasion  pre- 
vious to  this  event,  the  conduct  of  Sir  John  Jervis  has  been  con- 
spicuous. In  1790,  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish  armament,  Lord 
Howe  testified  his  high  sense  of  the  talents  and  activity  of 
Sir  John  Jervis,  and  of  the  state  and  discipline  of  the  fleet 
when  he  received  it  from  his  hands.  I  myself  was  on  board 
the  fleet  at  that  time,  and  the  discipline  kept  up  was  most  exem- 
plary, and  tended  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the  service.  In- 
deed, from  the  whole  of  his  conduct  I  do  not  hesitate  to 
pronounce,  without  meaning  to  give  offence  to  any  other,  that 
Sir  John  Jervis  is  the  first  naval  officer  in  His  Majesty's 
service." 

Lord  Hood.  —  "  Neither  the  history  of  this  country  nor 
that  of  any  other  can  produce  an  instance  of  greater  mag- 
nanimity, or  of  more  profound  judgment  and  professional  skill 
than  was  exhibited  by  Sir  John  Jervis  in  the  late  brilliant  en- 
gagement." 

Mr.  Fox.  —  "  In  returning  our  thanks  on  this  occasion, 
we  cannot  but  feel  with  peculiar  pride  and  satisfaction,  that 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

we  express  our  gratitude  and  acknowledgments  for  the  most 
brilliant  and  illustrious  exploit  recorded  in  the  annals  of  this 
country." 

Mr.  Pitt. — "  On  the  part  of  His  Majesty's  ministers  1  can 
safely  affirm,  that  before  this  last  splendid  instance  of  the 
good  conduct  and  valour  of  the  gallant  Admiral,  we  have  not 
been  remiss  in  watching  the  uniform  tenor  of  his  professional 
career.  ^We  have  witnessed  in  the  whole  of  his  proceedings 
such  instances  of  perseverance,  of  diligence,  and  of  exertion  in 
the  public  service,  as  though  less  brilliant  and  dazzling  than 
this  last  exploit,  are  only  less  meritorious  as  they  are  put  in 
competition  with  the  glory  of  a  single  day,  which  has  pro- 
duced such  extensive  and  incalculable  benefits  to  the  British 
empire." 

Sir  John  Jervis  received  the  thanks  of  Parliament  whilst 
refitting  his  fleet  in  the  Tagus ;  to  which  river  he  had  con- 
ducted his  prizes.  To  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons 
he  addressed  the  following  answer,  dated  March  22. 1797:  — 

«  Sir, 

"  To  have  merited  the  approbation  of  the  House  of 
Commons  twice  in  the  same  war  falls  to  the  lot  of  few  men  who 
hold  high  commands  in  His  Majesty's  fleet :  and  I  beg  you  will 
assure  the  House  how  highly  I  prize  the  great  honour  I  have  re- 
ceived, and  that  I  will  not  fail  to  convey,  to  the  admirals,  cap- 
tains, officers,  seamen,  marines,  and  soldiers,  under  my  command, 
the  very  honourable  testimony  the  House  has  been  pleased  to  ex- 
press of  their  skill,  bravery,  and  discipline,  in  the  successful  ac- 
tion with  the  fleet  of  Spain  on  the  14th  of  February  last. 

"  Permit  me  to  make  my  best  acknowledgments  to  you,  Sir,  for 
the  very  obliging  terms  in  which  you  have  made  this  communi- 
cation ;  and  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  with  great  respect,  Sir,  &c. 

(Signed)         "  JOHN  JERVIS." 

Suitable  replies  were  made  to  the  Lord  Chancellor  in 
answer  to  His  Lordship's  letter  conveying  the  thanks  of  the 
upper  House ;  and  to  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  in  answer 
to  an  intimation  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  common 
council  to  present  him  with  a  sword. 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  address  presented  to  Sir 
John  Jervis  by  the  British  merchants  residing  at  Lisbon :  — 

*'  Sir, 

"  We,  His  Majesty's  most  dutiful  and  loyal  subjects,  the 
factory  of  Lisbon,  beg  leave  to  congratulate  you  on  the  late  glo- 
rious and  important  victory  obtained  by  the  squadron  under  your 
command  over  the  fleet  of  Spain,  on  the  14-th  day  of  February  last, 
off  Cape  St.  Vincent. 

"  When  we  consider  the  very  great  superiority  of  the  enemy's 
force,  and  the  number  of  their  ships  captured,  we  are  at  a  loss 
which  most  to  admire,  the  energy  of  the  mind  that  could  form  the 
plan,  or  the  professional  knowledge  that  could  direct  the  execu- 
tion of  so  bold  and  successful  an  attack. 

**  Fully  sensible  of  the  very  important  service  done  to  your 
country  in  general,  and  to  the  safety  of  our  navigation  and  com- 
merce in  particular,  we  beg,  Sir,  that  you  will  condescend  to 
accept  of  our  most  unfeigned  thanks  on  this  occasion,  and  that 
you  will  direct  the  same  to  be  conveyed  to  the  admirals,  captains, 
officers,  seamen,  and  marines,  for  the  zeal,  intrepidity,  and  skill 
exerted  throughout  the  squadron  on  that  memorable  day. 

"  The  particular  attention  that  you  have  constantly  shown  to  our 
trade  since  your  appointment  to  this  station  demands  our  warmest 
acknowledgments,  andj  with  them  our  sincerest  wishes  for  your 
future  success  and  happiness.  —  By  order  of  the  factory. 

(Signed)  "  WILLIAM  BROWN, 

Treasurer  and  Chairman." 

The  mutiny  which  had  in  the  spring  of  1797  begun  at 
Spithead,  and  had  blazed  with  so  much  fury  during  the  month 
of  June  in  the  North  Sea,  reached  the  fleet  off  Cadiz  in  July. 
Knowing  the  character  of  their  chief,  the  seamen  were  ex- 
tremely cautious  in  their  first  movements,  which  began  on 
board  the  St.  George,  Defence,  and  Emerald :  but  here  its 
progress  was  arrested  by  skill  and  determination,  which  saved 
the  fleet,  and  after  two  or  three  examples  prevented  a  repeti- 
tion of  those  dreadful  executions  disgusting  to  humanity,  dis- 
graceful to  the  service,  and  injurious  to  the  best  interests  of 
the  country. 

The  bad  spirit  against  which  the  Earl  of  St.  Vincent  had 
to  contend  had  made  great  but  silent  progress,  but  the  ex- 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

ptosion  was  not  general,  being  chiefly  confined  to  the  in- 
stances just  mentioned :  these  were  quickly  repressed,  and 
the  ringleaders  brought  to  a  court-martial :  three  of  them 
were  condemned  to  suffer  death  ;  and  sentence  was  ordered  to 
be  carried  into  effect  on  board  the  St.  George,  as  the  ship 
most  remarkable  for  turbulence  in  her  crew. 

When  the  prisoners  were  brought  on  board  for  the  pur- 
pose, the  ship's  company  drew  up  a  remonstrance  against  its 
being  carried  into  execution  on  board  that  vessel,  and  also 
begged  that  the  culprits  might  be  pardoned.  The  answer  of 
the  Admiral  was,  that  he  considered  the  sentence  on  the 
mutineers  as  founded  on  solid  justice  and  imperious  necessity, 
and  was  resolved  that  it  should  be  carried  into  effect :  this 
being  made  known  to  the  crew  of  the  St.  George,  strong 
symptoms  of  discontent  were  observed  among  them;  but  their 
motions  were  so  well  watched  by  the  captain  and  officers,  that 
their  plan  to  seize  the  ship,  depose  their  officers,  and  liberate 
the  criminals,  was  very  soon  discovered. 

The  period  of  their  rising  was  fixed  for  the  night  previous 
to  the  intended  execution :  but  the  captain  of  the  St.  George 
seeing  the  people  assemble  in  a  tumultuous  manner  on  the 
main-deck,  informed  them  that  he  was  aware  of  their  inten- 
tions, and  commanded  them  to  disperse.  Finding  they  were 
not  disposed  to  obey,  he  and  his  first  lieutenant  boldly  seized 
two  of  the  leaders,  dragged  them  out  from  among  their  com- 
panions, and  confined  them  in  irons.  This  decisive  measure 
immediately  restored  order,  and  brought  the  mutinous  crew 
to  a  sense  of  their  duty.  The  three  men  were  hanged  the 
next  morning  at  the  fore-yard-arm  of  the  St.  George.  A 
general  order  the  night  before  commanded  the  attendance  of 
two  boats  from  each  ship  of  the  fleet,  well  manned  and  armed, 
with  two  marines  in  each ;  the  crew  of  the  St.  George  alone 
to  man  the  yard-ropes,  and  none  of  the  people  from  the  other 
ships  to  assist,  as  is  customary  on  ordinary  occasions :  this 
was  done  to  mark  the  opinion  His  Lordship  entertained  of 
the  loyalty  of  the  fleet,  and  of  the  bad  conduct  of  the  crew  of 
the  St.  George. 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

This  prompt  and  well-timed  severity,  though  productive  of 
the  most  salutary  effects,  did  not  entirely  eradicate  the  con- 
tagion which  had  infected  the  seamen  before  Cadiz.  The 
Defence  74,  and  the  Emerald  frigate,  were  particularly 
distinguished  for  daring  acts  of  insubordination ;  the  boats- 
wain of  the  latter  recommended  the  crew  to  take  the  ship 
into  Cadiz,  for  which  he  was  tried,  condemned,  and  executed, 
on  board  that  vessel.  The  mutineers  of  the  Defence  were 
also  brought  to  a  court-martial,  and  received  sentence  of 
death.  The  energy  displayed  by  the  Earl  of  St.  Vincent  on 
this  occasion  did  him  great  honour,  and  his  secret  order  to 
Sir  William  Parker  will  best  shew  the  determination  with 
which  he  met  the  danger.  It  was  as  follows : 

"  Sir, 

"  It  being  necessary  to  take  every  precaution  against  any  at- 
tempt to  delay  or  defeat  the  carrying  of  the  sentence  of  the  court- 
martial  into  execution  on  board  the  Defence  this  morning,  I  have 
ordered  all  the  launches  in  the  fleet  fitted  with  carronades  to 
have  them  mounted,  and  to  hold  them  in  readiness  at  a  moment's 
warning ;  and  should  any  resistance  be  made  to  carry  the  sentence 
of  the  law  into  execution,  (of  which  immediate  notice  will  be  given 
to  you,)  it  is  my  directions  that  you  assume  the  command  of 
them,  taking  the  captains  of  your  division  in  their  barges  to  your 
assistance,  and  that  you  fire  into  that  part  of  His  Majesty's  ship  De- 
fence where  the  persons  resisting  or  opposing  obedience  to  lawful 
commands  may  dispose  of  themselves,  and  continue  your  fire 
until  they  submit. 

(Signed)       "  ST.  VINCENT." 

With  these  precautions  the  execution  took  place  very 
quietly,  and  the  whole  fleet  was  restored  to  a  state  of  sound 
discipline.  Thus  the  firmness  and  temper  of  the  noble 
Admiral  gave  him  the  most  perfect  command  of  his  ships  at  a 
time  when  the  discipline  of  other  divisions  was  extremely 
doubtful.  In  less  masterly  hands  than  his  the  fleet  before 
Cadiz  might  have  been  induced  to  relieve  itself  from  the 
rigour  of  a  long  blockade,  by  running  into  an  enemy's  port, 
or  returning  to  England  to  "  redress  its  grievances,"  giving 
an  advantage  to  our  adversary  which  we  should  in  all  pro- 


S54"  EARL    OF   ST.  VINCENT. 

bability  never  have  recovered.  Instead,  however,  of  allowing 
his  country  to  be  disgraced  and  ruined  by  such  proceedings5 
the  undaunted  chief  turned  the  ardour  of  his  men  to  the 
honour  of  England  and  the  discomfiture  of  her  foes.  He  saw 
that  while  the  ships  lay  inactively  at  anchor  before  the  portj 
the  sailors,  for  want  of  some  object  to  employ  their  attention, 
would  brood  over  the  late  acts  of  severity,  and  if  compelled 
to  perform  their  duty,  would  do  it  without  heart  or  cheerful- 
ness. He  therefore  caused  the  boats  from  all  the  ships  of  the 
fleet,  well  manned  and  armed,  to  be  divided  in  three  parts, 
each  taking  its  turn,  under  the  command  of  a  lieuteniint  of 
the  flag-ship,  to  row  guard  during  the  night,  under  the  very 
walls  of  the  garrison  ;  while  a  bomb- vessel,  the  mortar-boats, 
and  launches  with  heavy  carronades,  kept  up  a  constant  fire 
on  the  place,  and  the  unhappy  Spaniards  were  made  to  feel 
the  effects  and  deplore  the  consequences  of  a  mutiny  in  the 
British  fleet. 

At  a  subsequent  period,  when  blockading  the  port  of  Brest, 
having  some  remains  of  the  mutiny  to  contend  with,  on  a 
Sunday  morning,  one  part  of  Earl  St.  Vincent's  fleet  was  in 
action  with  the  enemy's  batteries,  and  cutting  off  their  coast- 
ing trade ;  another,  a  little  further  from  the  shore,  carrying 
a  sentence  of  death  into  execution ;  while  the  third  was  at- 
tending to  divine  service  in  the  offing.  Nor  did  His  Lordship, 
when  supporting  his  own  authority,  and  the  discipline  of  the 
navy,  for  his  country's  good,  ever  forget  the  real  interest  or 
comforts  of  the  seamen  committed  to  his  care  :  equally  mind- 
ful to  obtain  for  the  officers  and  men  every  indulgence  com- 
patible with  the  great  object  in  view,  while  employed  before 
Cadiz,  fresh  beef,  vegetables,  and  fruit,  were  procured  at  any 
expense  from  the  coast  of  Barbary ;  their  letters  were  for- 
warded with  the  least  possible  delay ;  the  cleanliness  of  the 
ships  was  never  carried  to  a  greater  degree  of  nicety;  a 
regular  sick  berth  was  first  established,  the  patients  received 
the  utmost  care  and  attention  that  medical  aid  and  kind  treat- 
ment could  afford ;  and  the  surprising  fact,  that  the,  sick  list, 
in  the  whole  fleet,  after  being  ten  months  at  sea,  did  not 

8 


.  EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT.  255 

amount  to  more  than  fifty  men,  sufficiently  proves  the  good 
effect  of  his  system. 

Every  encouragement  was  given  to  merit :  none  were  pre- 
ferred from  any  class  but  such  as  brought  the  most  undeniable 
testimonies  of  good  conduct ;  and  never  by  any  commander- 
in-chief  were  powerful  recommendations  from  home  less  re- 
garded. Whether  we  look  at  his  fleet  at  an  anchor,  under 
sail,  in  the  line,  or  opposed  to  nearly  double  its  force,  we  are 
alike  surprised  and  delighted.  Wherever  the  Earl  had  the 
least  reason  to  suppose  that  a  ship's  crew  were  discon- 
tented, he  quickly  enquired  into  the  circumstances,  removed 
the  cause,  if  any  existed,  and  not  unfrequently,  at  an  hour's 
notice,  sent  the  whole  into  different  ships ;  and  thus  by  separ- 
ating a  set  of  men  who  had  combined  for  mischievous  pur- 
poses, disconcerted  their  plans  before  they  became  ripe  for 
execution. 

When  a  mutiny  took  place,  on  board  one  of  the  ships  of 
his  fleet,  Earl  St.  Vincent  ordered  her  captain  to  send  one 
half  of  the  crew  to  one  ship,  and  the  other  half  to  another ; 
after  which  she  was  re-manned  by  a  sort  of  subscription  from 
the  fleet  at  large,  and  certainly  not  of  the  best  men,  —  a  pro- 
per rebuke  for  an  officer  who  could  not  keep  his  ship  in  order 
without  external  aid. 

The  commander  of  a  frigate,  lying  at  Gibraltar,  complained 
to  him  by  letter,  that  the  governor  of  that  garrison  had  with- 
drawn some  soldiers  who  were  serving  in  his  ship  as  marines. 
The  Earl  replied,  "  I  should  have  had  a  better  opinion  of  you 
if  you  had  not  sent  me  a  crying  letter :  there  are  men  enough 
to  be  got  at  Gibraltar,  and  you  and  your  officers  would  have 
been  much  better  employed  in  picking  them  up,  than  in  lying 
on  your  backs,  and  roaring  like  so  many  bull-calves." 

To  the  Board  of  Ordnance  he  wrote  a  strong  remonstranc'e 
on  their  stopping  a  captain's  accounts  for  having  fired  a  salute 
by  His  Lordship's  command.  This  was  an  old  grievance  i^i 
the  navy :  so  falsely  economical  was  the  government  of  iti; 
powder,  that  sufficient  quantity  was  not  allowed  to  exercise 
the  people  at  the  great  guns.  This  abuse  was  soon  after  re-i 


256  EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

medied,  and  the  service  greatly  improved  by  the  permission 
to  use  powder  in  all  cases  of  exercise,  at  the  discretion  of  the 
captain,  for  which,  however,  he  was  to  consider  himself  ac- 
countable. 

One  night,  whilst  blockading  Cadiz,  there  appeared  every 
indication  of  an  approaching  storm:  it  shortly  took  place, 
and  rapidly  increased  to  such  a  height,  as  to  threaten  the 
destruction  of  several,  if  not  all,  of  the  ships  then  at  anchor. 
The  only  means  of  warding  off  the  danger  was  to  veer  away 
more  cable,  but  this  could  not  be  instantly  given  in  command, 
as  no  night-signal  was  yet  established  for  this  purpose.  Sud- 
denly, Earl  St.  Vincent  called  for  the  boatswain  and  all 
his  mates,  stationed  them  on  the  poop,  gangway,  and  fore- 
castle, and  told  them  to  pipe  together  loudly  as  when  veering 
cable ;  this  was  heard  on  board  the  surrounding  ships,  when 
the  captains,  rightly  conceiving  the  Admiral  was  veering  cable, 
directed  the  same  to  be  done  on  board  their  respective  ships, 
and  the  fleet  rode  out  the  gale  in  safety.  * 

The  Spaniards  in  Cadiz  not  appearing  very  desirous  of 
again  trying  the  fortune  of  war,  the  Admiral  made  use  of 
the  leisure  allowed  him  to  fit  out  a  small  expedition  against 
Teneriffe.  f 

In  November,  1 797,  the  Dey  of  Algiers  having  shown 
some  symptoms  of  hostility,  the  Earl  sent  Captain  Thompson 
with  a  small  squadron,  and  clear  and  decided  orders,  before 
that  city.  His  barbaric  Highness  was  in  consequence  in- 
duced to  alter  his  conduct,  and  harmony  was  restored. 

While  lying  in  the  Tagus,  during  the  winter  months  of 
December,  1797,  and  January,  1798,  we  find  Earl  St.  Vin- 
cent in  active  correspondence  with  many  public  characters  in 
England,  and  among  the  friendly  powers  on  the  Continent,  as 
well  as  with  the  princes  of  Africa.  Our  limits  will  only  allow 

*  The  new  school  of  naval  science  seems  to  have  discovered  that  three  cables  an 
end  on  one  anchor,  will  ride  a  ship  longer  than  three  cables  on  three  anchors. 

•f*  For  a  correct  account  of  the  proceedings  of  this  armament  and  its  un- 
fortunate failure,  we  must  refer  the  reader  to  Marshall's  Royal  Naval  Biography, 
vpl.  i.  p.  391.  et  seq. 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT.  257 

us  to  give  such  extracts  as  are  illustrative  at  once  of  the  cha- 
racter of  the  Noble  Lord,  and  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  times. 

By  the  treaty  into  which  his  Lordship  entered  after  his 
victory  off  Cape  St.  Vincent,  the  Spanish  prisoners,  taken  on 
that  occasion,  were  all  landed  at  Lagos,  upon  condition  of  not 
serving  again  until  regularly  exchanged ;  but  it  appears  from 
the  following  letter  that  the  Spanish  government  was  quite 
regardless  of  this  compact : 

"  To  the  Honourable  Horace  Walpole. 

"  The  correspondence  between  Don  Juan  de  Mazerado  and 
myself,  on  the  subject  of  the  Spanish  prisoners  landed  at  Lagos, 
is,  I  hope,  now  closed.  I  send  you  a  copy  of  his  letter,  with  my 
answer  thereto.  It  is  evident  that  Spanish  faith  will  soon  be  as 
proverbially  base  and  perfidious,  as  Punic  of  old,  or  Corsican  in 
modern  days ;  for  the  prisoners  taken,  both  at  Trinidada  and  on 
the  14th  of  February,  are  now  serving  in  the  fleet;  the  Lord  have 
mercy  upon  them  should  they  fall  into  my  hands,  for  I  shall  shew 
them  none. 

(Signed)  "  ST.  VINCENT." 

The  arms  of  the  French  republic  having  now  conquered 
Italy,  and  subdued  the  armies  of  the  empire,  the  Directory 
determined  on  foreign  invasion  upon  a  grand  and  extensive 
scale.  The  vast  armament  which  had  long  been  equipping 
at  Toulon,  had  not  escaped  the  penetrating  eye  of  the  able 
and  enlightened  chief  who  commanded  the  Mediterranean 
fleet.  He  was  in  close  and  secret  correspondence  with  men 
of  keen  discernment  in  the  south  of  France ;  and,  though  the 
certain  destination  of  the  enemy's  force  was  not  known,  yet 
from  various  circumstances  it  was  conjectured  that  the  east 
was  the  quarter  where  the  blow  was  intended  to  be  struck ; 
and  thither  Earl  St.  Vincent's  attention  was  directed.  Al- 
though his  own  fleet  was  at  this  time  much  inferior  to  that  of 
the  enemy  in  Cadiz,  with  a  mind  worthy  of  the  noble  cause 
in  which  he  was  engaged,  his  Lordship  disregarded  every 
personal  consideration,  an<J,  reserving  to  himself  a  very  few 
ships,  detached  the  remainder  up  the  Mediterranean  to  watch 

VOL.  vni.  s 


258  EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

the  motions  of  our  insidious  foe.  His  alleged  partiality  in 
giving  the  command  of  this  detachment  to  Sir  Horatio  Nel- 
son, produced  remonstrances  from  other  flag-officers  in  the 
fleet,  senior  in  rank  to  that  immortal  hero.  This  was  a  point 
on  which  the  Earl  always  held  himself  perfectly  independent. 
His  laconic  and  memorable  answer  was  —  "  that  he  con- 
sidered those  who  were  responsible  for  measures  had  a  right 
to  choose  their  men." 

To  Sir  William  Hamilton,  the  British  Ambassador  at  the 
court  of  Naples,  and  his  celebrated  consort,  he  thus  writes 
about  this  period : 

"  Sir, 

"  I  must  decline  entering  into  the  wretched  policy  which  has 
placed  the  Two  Sicilies  in  the  situation  they  now  are  with  re- 
spect to  the  system  of  the  insolent  and  overbearing  republic.  I 
have  a  powerful  squadron  ready  to  fly  to  the  assistance  of  Naples, 
the  moment  I  receive  a  reinforcement  from  the  west  of  Ireland, 
which  is  on  its  passage  hither,  and  I  hourly  look  for  its  appear- 
ance with  the  utmost  degree  of  anxiety  and  impatience.  Rear- 
Admiral  Sir  Horatio  Nelson  will  command  this  force,  which  is 
composed  of  the  elite  of  the  navy  of  England.  Sir  G.  Byng  (Lord 
Torrington)  did  not  make  a  better  choice  when  he  was  charged 
by  George  the  First  with  a  very  important  mission  to  the  same 
coasts,  and  I  have  no  doubt  of  the  event  being  equally  propitious 
to  His  Majesty's  arms.  I  am  prohibited  by  my  orders  from  quit- 
ting this  position,  which  the  mistaken  policy  of  Spain  has  made 
necessary.  Have  the  goodness  to  lay  me  at  the  feet  of  their  Ma- 
jesties, and  assure  them  of  my  most  profound  repect,  and  that  I 
will  exert  every  nerve  for  their  preservation. 

(Signed)  "  ST.  VINCENT/' 

"  Madam, 

"  I  feel  myself  highly  honoured  and  flattered  by  your  Lady- 
ship's letter  of  the  15th  of  April.  The  picture  you  bave  drawn 
of  the  lovely  Queen  of  Naples,  and  the  Royal  Family,  would 
rouse  the  indignation  of  the  most  unfeeling,  at  the  infernal  designs 
of  these  devils  who,  for  the  scourge  of  the  human  race,  are  per- 
mitted to  govern  France.  I  am  bound  by  my  oath  of  chivalry  to 
protect  all  who  are  persecuted  or  distressed,  and  I  would  fly  to 
the  succour  of  their  Sicilian  Majesties,  was  I  not  positively  forbid 
to  quit  my  post  before  Cadiz.  I  am  happy,  however,  to  have  a 
knight  of  superior  prowess  in  my  train,  who  is  charged  with  the 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT.  259 

enterprise,  and  will  soon  make  his  appearance  at  the  head  of  as 
gallant  a  band  "  as  ever  drew  sword  or  trailed  pike." 

(Signed)  "  ST.  VINCENT." 

The  operations  of  Sir  Horatio  Nelson's  squadron  are  so 
well  known  as  to  render  any  relation  of  them  superfluous. 
Considering  the  battle  of  the  Nile,  however,  as  the  greatest, 
both  in  itself  and  in  its  consequences,  of  the  naval  engage- 
ments recorded  in  history,  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to 
offer  a  few  remarks  upon  the  political  effects  which  resulted 
from  it. 

The  object  of  the  Toulon  armament  was  the  total  destruc- 
tion of  our  empire  in  India :  and  the  means  proposed  for 
effecting  it  seem  to  have  been,  marching  an  army  across 
the  isthmus  of  Suez,  and  seizing  the  vessels  of  the  country,  or 
constructing  others  on  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea,  to  trans- 
port troops  down  that  gulf;  and,  crossing  the  Indian  Ocean, 
land  on  the  coast  of  Malabar,  where  the  enemy  expected  (and 
probably  with  great  reason)  an  active  co-operation  from  some 
of  the  discontented  native  powers.  —  Such  were  the  views  of 
the  Directory  ;  and  Napoleon  Buonaparte  was  selected  as  the 
man  most  fit  to  carry  their  plans  into  effect.  This  chieftain, 
by  landing  his  army,  had  secured  to  himself  the  possession  of 
Alexandria,  overawing  the  neighbouring  country,  and  levy- 
ing vast  contributions  of  corn,  cattle,  and  money.  Such  an 
interloper  could  not  fail  of  exciting  the  fears  and  jealousies  of 
the  natives ;  and  thence  their  rejoicings  at  the  destruction  of 
the  enemy's  fleet ;  they  saw  that,  whatever  was  the  power  of 
their'  invaders,  there  was  a  power  still  superior;  and  they 
rested  all  their  hopes  of  deliverance  upon  the  nation  who  had 
humbled  their  conquerors. 

Deprived  of  the  ships  on  which  Buonaparte  depended  for 
his  future  supplies  and  reinforcements,  the  advance  gof  his 
army  was  in  a  great  measure  impeded.  Alexandria  was 
blockaded  by  sea,  his  dispatches  were  intercepted,  all  com- 
munication was  cut  off  between  himself  and  France ;  while 
he  was  beset  by  a  savage  and  vindictive  enemy  on  land. 

s  2  / 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

A  small  vessel  attempted  to  sail  for  Toulon,  charged  with  dis- 
patches ;  she  was  taken,  and  by  the  papers  found  on  board,  both 
of  a  public  and  of  a  private  nature,  we  were  put  in  possession 
of  the  state  of  the  French  army.  Their  feelings  on  beholding 
the  destruction  and  capture  of  their  fleet,  the  moral  certainty 
of  their  never  again  seeing  their  native  country,  the  dearth 
of  provisions,  the  want  even  of  the  common  necessaries  of  life, 
were  the  incessant  burden  of  their  letters ;  and  madness  and 
despair  seemed  to  have  taken  entire  possession  of  this  once 
formidable  force ;  cooped  up  in  a  dry  and  sandy  desert,  and 
surrounded  by  plague,  pestilence,  and  famine.  Such  was  the 
result  of  all  the  golden  promises  held  out  by  their  general 
when  they  quitted  Toulon,  and  such  were  the  fruits  of  Nel- 
son's victory  in  Aboukir  Bay,  on  the  glorious  first  of  August 
1798.  Never,  in  any  former  war,  did  France  embark  an 
army  of  such  magnitude  as  that  sent  from  Toulon  for  the  in- 
vasion of  Egypt ;  never  was  an  army  led  by  abler  chiefs,  or 
so  well  supplied  with  every  article  necessary  for  its  progress 
towards  the  great  and  ultimate  object,  —  the  invasion  of  our 
Asiatic  possessions ;  never  was  an  army  better  escorted  by  its 
maritime  auxiliaries ;  and  yet  the  destruction  of  Pharaoh  and 
his  host  in  the  Red  Sea  was  scarcely  more  complete  than 
that  of  the  fleet  and  the  legions  of  France  in  Egypt,  un- 
der the  command  of  Admiral  Brueys  and  General  Buona- 
parte. * 

In  a  letter  to  the  Countess  of  Spencer,  Earl  St.  Vincent 
observed,  "  that  the  administration  of  her  lord  had  been  the 
most  auspicious  to  His  Majesty's  arms  of  any  upon  record;  and 
he  considered  the  battle  of  the  Nile  the  greatest  ever  gained 
at  sea;  —  he  compares  it  to  that  fought  by  Sir  George  Byng, 
in  the  Faro  of  Messina,  and  only  claims  the  credit  of  having 
selected  the  gallant  band  who  had  achieved  the  victory. 
"  With  justice,"  his  Lordship  adds,  "  I  pride  myself  in  pre- 
serving the  health  of  the  crews  of  the  fleet,  and  in  maintain- 

*  For  an  account  of  the  tremendous  conflict  in  Aboukir  Bay,  see  Marshall's 
Royal  Naval  Biography,  vol.  i.  p.  180.  (tseq. 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT.  261 

ing  strict  discipline  when  surrounded  by  factious  spirits  in  the 
lower  orders,  and  discontents  among  the  higher  classes." 

His  Lordship  soon  after  addressed  two  letters  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Admiralty,  the  one  public,  the  other  private :  viz. 

"  Sir,  "  Gibraltar,  Dec.28.  1798. 

"  I  observe  that  in  the  close  of  your  letter  of  the  2d  ultimo, 
wherein  you  communicate  the  permission  given  me  by  the  Lords 
Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty  to  return  to  England,  leaving  the 
command  of  the  fleet  in  the  Mediterranean  to  the  next  flag-officer 
in  succession ;  that  I  am  not  to  avail  myself  of  this  indulgence, 
unless  my  health  absolutely  requires  it,  which  not  being  the  case 
at  present,  I  shall  conform  myself  to  the  pleasure  of  their  Lord- 
ships, until  a  return  of  the  complaint  I  am  subject  to  compels  me 
to  relinquish  the  command*  when  1  conclude  I  am  at  liberty  to  go 
to  Spithead  in  the  Ville  de  Paris. 

&c.  &c.  &c. 

"  To  Evan  Nepean,  Esq.  (Signed)         "  ST.  VINCENT." 

"  My  dear  Nepean,  Same  Date. 

"  Under  the  restriction  at  the  close  of  your  letter  of  leave, 
I  dare  not  go  to  England ;  in  truth,  I  am  at  this  moment  able 
to  go  through  more  fatigue  than  any  officer  on  this  rock,  or, 
I  believe,  in  the  fleet ;  yet,  as  I  approach  my  64-th  year,  and 
have  never  spared  myself,  I  cannot  long  expect  to  be  equal  to  the 
exertion  the  great  scene  now  before  me  requires. 

(Signed)         "  ST.  VINCENT." 

At  the  period  when  the  above  letters  were  written.  Earl 
St.  Vincent,  whose  health  had  long  been  declining,  was  inde- 
fatigably  employed  in  superintending  the  repairs  of  those 
ships  which  had  suffered  most  in  the  sanguinary  combat  off 
the  mouth  of  the  Nile,  and  for  which  purpose  he  had  hoisted 
his  flag  in  Le  Souverain,  one  of  Nelson's  prizes,  and  taken 
up  his  residence  in  the  garrison,  rightly  considering  that  his 
presence  would  accelerate  the  public  service.  On  his  requir- 
ing of  the  military  and  civil  authorities  that  the  artificers 
should  work  at  day-light  (five  o'clock),  he  was  informed  that 
the  gates  of  the  dock-yard  were  not  opened  until  an  hour  after 
that  time ;  his  Lordship,  therefore,  applied  to  the  Governor 

*  3 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

for  an  alteration  accommodated  to  this  early  duty.  —  "  The 
men,"  said  the  General  (O'Hara),  "  will  not  be  able  to  see." 
"  Perhaps  not,"  said  the  Admiral,  "  but  they  can  hear  me." 
—  The  request  was  granted ;  the  Earl  of  St.  Vincent  was  ever 
at  his  post,  at  the  dawn  of  day,  with  stentorian  voice  directing 
the  business ;  and  from  the  insignia  of  his  rank,  with  which 
he  was  invariably  decorated,  he  obtained  the  metaphorical 
appellation  of  "  The  Morning  Star." 

From  this  time  we  find  no  particular  mention  of  the  noble 
subject  of  this  memoir  until  his  return  to  England  in  August 
1 799,  when  he  was  presented  with  the  freedom  of  the  borough 
of  Portsmouth,  and  soon  after  with  the  following  congratu- 
latory address  from  the  merchants  and  manufacturers  of  Great 
Britain,  trading  to  the  south  of  Europe. 

"  My  Lord, 

"  I  have  the  honour,  by  desire,  and  in  the  name  of  the 
merchants  of  London,  and  the  merchants  and  manufacturers 
of  Leeds,  Halifax,  Exeter,  Birmingham,  and  Norwich,  trading  to 
the  southern  parts  of  Europe,  (unanimously  determined  and  di- 
rected by  their  respective  committees,)  to  express  the  warm 
interest  they  take  in  the  speedy  and  perfect  re-establishrnent  of 
your  Lordship's  health,  and  their  earnest  wish  and  prayer  for  the 
long  preservation  of  a  life  of  such  importance  to  the  British 
empire. 

"  In  common  with  their  fellow-subjects,  they  have  felt  the  ad- 
vantages which  tnis  country  has  derived  from  the  gallantry  dis- 
played by  your  Lordship  on  various  occasions ;  and,  as  merchants, 
an  additional  degree  of  obligation,  for  the  zealous  attention  which 
your  Lordship  has  shewn,  on  every  occasion,  to  the  support  and 
protection  of  its  trade  and  commerce  ;  and  for  which  they  request 
your  Lordship  to  accept  their  grateful  thanks. 

"  It  affords  me,  my  Lord,  the  most  heartfelt  satisfaction,  to  be 
charged  with  communicating  to  your  Lordship,  sentiments  replete 
with  veneration,  applause,  and  gratitude ;  sentiments  so  justly 
merited  by  your  Lordship,  and  so  cordially  felt  by  the  highly  re- 
spectable body  of  the  merchants  and  manufacturers,  whom,  in 
their  mercantile  profession,  I  have  had  the  honour,  for  several 
years  past,  to  represent. 

"  Permit  me  also  to  avail  myself  of  this  opportunity  of  acknow- 
ledging the  obligations,  for  which  I  am  personally  indebted  to 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT.  263 

your  Lordship,  and  to  subscribe  myself,  with  esteem  and  respect, 
my  Lord, 

"  Your  Lordship's  most  obedient, 

"  and  most  humble  servant, 

(Signed)        "  JOHN  TURNBULL." 
"  London,  Nov.  6th.  1799." 

«  Admiral  the  Earl  of  St.  Vincent." 

To  which  his  Lordship  made  the  following  reply  :  — 

"  Sir, 

"  I  am  highly  honoured  and  gratified  by  the  approbation  of  the 
merchants  of  London,  and  the  merchants  and  manufacturers  of 
Leeds,  Halifax,  Exeter,  Birmingham,  and  Norwich,  trading  to  the 
southern  parts  of  Europe,  and  by  the  warm  interest  they  take  in 
the  recovery  of  my  health,  conveyed  in  your  obliging  letter  of 
yesterday. 

"  The  protection  of  the  trade  and  commerce  of  the  country, 
I  have  ever  considered  a  principal  object  of  my  public  duty  ;  and 
felt  fully  recompensed  when  any  efforts  in  the  discharge  of  it  were 
attended  with  success;  for  on  the  prosperity  of  our  commercial 
navigation,  the  summit  which  Great  Britain  has  reached  can  only 
be  maintained. 

"  I  avail  myself  of  this  occasion  to  acknowledge  the  advantage 
I  have  derived  from  your  instructive  correspondence ;  and  I  have 
the  honour  to  be,  with  great  regard  and  esteem,  Sir, 

w  Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

(Signed)         "  ST.  VINCENT." 

"  Rochetts,  Nov.  7th.  1799." 

"  To  John  Turnbull,  Esq.  Chairman  of  the  Merchants 
trading  to  the  southern  parts  of  Europe." 

After  a  long  struggle  with  disease,  Earl  St.  Vincent  re- 
covered his  health  in  so  great  a  degree,  as  to  enable  him,  in 
the  month  of  April,  1800,  to  assume  the  command  of  the 
Channel  fleet,  tendered  to  him  on  the  resignation  of  Lord 
Bridport.  On  this  occasion  he  was  empowered  to  order 
courts-martial,  and  to  put  their  sentence  in  execution  without 
delay,  or  report  to  the  Board  of  Admiralty  or  any  higher 
authority.  This  privilege  belongs  of  course  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  upon  every  foreign  station,  but  has  been  very 

s  4 


264  EARL  OF  ST.  VINCENT. 

seldom,  if  ever,  included  in  the  commission  for  the  Channel 
fleet,  on  account  of  the  quick  intercourse  between  that  station 
and  the  Admiralty.  In  the  course  of  the  same  year  his 
Lordship  received  the  honourable  and  lucrative  appointment 
of  Lieutenant-General  of  Marines. 

The  various  squadrons  detached  from  Earl  St.  Vincent's 
fleet,  were  very  successful  in  their  operations  against  the  trade 
of  the  enemy,  and  by  their  activity  kept  the  French  coast  in 
a  continual  state  of  alarm ;  but  as  the  republican  marine  in 
the  "  forts  of  the  ocean,"  preferred  the  security  it  derived 
from  the  batteries  on  shore,  to  a  repetition  of  the  defeats  it 
had  already  sustained,  the  noble  Admiral  had  no  opportunity 
of  adding  fresh  laurels  to  those  he  had  already  acquired.  On 
hauling  down  his  flag,  the  crew  of  the  Ville  de  Paris,  in 
which  ship  it  had  been  hoisted,  presented  him  with  a  St. 
George's  jack,  having  his  Lordship's  arms  beautifully  embroi- 
dered in  the  centre.  In  the  upper  division  were  the  words, 
"  God  save  the  King-,"  and  "  Long  live  Earl  St.  Vincent;" 
and  in  the  lower  the  following  inscription :  "  This  flag  is 
presented  to  Earl  St.  Vincent,  as  an  humble  testimony  of 
gratitude  and  respect,  by  the  Crew  of  His  Majesty's  ship  the 
Ville  de  Paris." 

In  February  1801,  when  the  reins  of  administration  were 
committed  to  Mr.  Addington,  now  Viscount  Sid  mouth,  Earl 
St.  Vincent  was  nominated  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  and 
immediately  instituted  a  strict  enquiry  into  the  various  frauds, 
mismanagements,  and  abuses,  which  from  time  to  time  had 
been  committed  in  the  different  departments  connected  with 
the  naval  service  of  the  country.  All  impartial  persons  ap- 
plauded the  measure,  as  one  which  had  long  been  wanting  ; 
and  it  was  opposed  and  condemned  only  by  a  few  interested 
men,  whose  exorbitant  emoluments  it  tended  to  abridge,  or 
whose  negligence  in  the  execution  of  their  duty  it  threatened 
to  punish.  The  loss  sustained  by  the  public  during  the 
course  of  the  war,  in  consequence  of  the  peculation  or  negli- 
gence of  its  servants  in  the  naval  departments,  is  said  to  have 
amounted  to  no  less  a  sum  than  twenty  millions ;  it  therefore 
became  an  object  of  serious  national  C9ncern5  and  worthy  o* 


EARL  OF  ST.  VINCENT.  265 

the  high  character  at  the  head  of  the  Admiralty,  that  rigorous 
proceedings  should  be  instituted  to  put  a  stop  to  those  noto- 
rious malpractices  and  disorders. 

In  the  summer  of  1802,  the  Earl  of  St.  Vincent,  accom- 
panied by  other  members  of  the  Admiralty  board,  set  out  on 
a  tour  of  inspection  to  the  out-ports,  where  they  minutely 
examined  the  dock-yards  and  other  great  depots  of  naval 
stores,  made  many  necessary  regulations,  and  corrected  nu- 
merous abuses.  From  this  salutary  investigation,  the  conduct 
of  all  in  public  trust,  throughout  every  department,  was 
brought  under  the  strictest  review.  The  contractors*  accounts 
for  timber,  sail-cloth,  hemp,  iron,  &c.  were  not  only  cor- 
rectly examined,  but  the  quantity  of  each  article  was  accu- 
rately compared  with  every  item  of  charge ;  from  which  com- 
parison the  necessity  of  a  rigorous  reform  was  but  too 
manifest.  This  was  of  course  immediately  set  on  foot,  and 
so  well  arranged  by  additional  counter-cheque  certificates  and 
other  precautionary  measures,  that  none  of  these  predatory 
practices  were  likely  any  longer  to  prevail.  Several  officers 
were  dismissed  from  the  dock-yards,  whose  offences  were 
embezzlement  of  stores;  rating  persons  as  inferior  officers, 
who,  contrary  to  the  most  positive  orders,  had  been  employed 
in  their  gardens  and  houses,  to  the  injury  of  the  individuals 
who  actually  performed  the  duties ;  giving  enormous  extra 
wages  to  officers,  their  servants  and  favourites,  for  stated 
work  which  had  not  been  performed  ;  and  entering  infants 
as  apprentices,  and  paying  them  the  same  rate  of  extra  wages 
as  the  artificers.  Men  who  had  been  for  many  years  past 
their  labour,  had  been  paid  the  highest  extra  wages ;  and 
landsmen,  it  appeared,  had  been  smuggled  by  various  means 
into  the  rigging-lofts  and  ordinary,  and  had  thereby  swallowed 
up  the  asylum  and  birth-right  of  seamen.  All  these  Earl 
St.  Vincent  ordered  to  be  discharged,  in  order  to  make  room 
for  the  gallant  fellows  then  about  to  be  paid  off. 

The  plunder  and  abuse  discovered  in  the  course  of  this 
tour  induced  his  Lordship  to  take  measures  for  putting  an 
effectual  stop  to  such  a  system.  Accordingly,  on  the  13th 


266  EARL  OF  ST.  VINCENT. 

of  December  following,  a  bill  was  brought  into  parliament, 
by  one  of  his  colleagues,  the  present  Admiral  Markham, 
entitled,  "  a  bill  for  appointing  commissioners  to  enquire  into 
abuses,  frauds,  and  irregularities,  practised  in  the  several 
naval  departments,  and  in  the  business  of  prize-agents,  &c., 
and  to  report  the  same  to  the  house,  with  such  observations 
as  may  occur  to  the  said  commissioners  for  the  prevention  of 
such  frauds  and  abuses."  On  the  18th  of  the  same  month, 
after  much  discussion,  in  the  course  of  which  it  was  warmly 
opposed  by  Mr.  Canning,  Earl  Temple,  Admiral  Berkeley, 
and  Dr.  Lawrence;  and  as  strenuously  supported  by  Lord 
Hawkesbury,  and  Messrs.  Addington  and  Sheridan,  the  bill 
passed  the  Commons,  and  was  sent  to  the  Lords,  where  its 
principles  were  defended  by  Lords  Nelson,  Pelham,  and 
Ellenborough.  His  Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Clarence, 
on  the  other  hand,  contended  that  its  provisions  were  nuga- 
tory, ridiculous,  mischievous,  and  unconstitutional ;  and,  after 
a  speech  of  some  length,  moved  that  it  be  read  "  this  day 
three  months."  The  question  having  been  put  upon  the 
Royal  Duke's  motion,  the  amendment  was  rejected.  The 
royal  assent  was  given  to  the  bill  on  the  29th,  and  commis- 
sioners, vested  with  very  extensive  powers,  were  immediately 
appointed.  The  reports  made  at  different  times  by  these  gen- 
tlemen, are  very  voluminous  and  interesting. 

Having  thus  generally  benefited  the  country,  Earl  St.  Vin- 
cent, in  order  to  rescue  the  seamen  from  the  rapacious  arts  of 
the  Jews,  and  swarms  of  other  miscreants,  to  whom  they  had 
too  long  been  suffered  to  fall  an  easy  prey,  sedulously  applied 
himself  to  the  revision  of  the  several  statutes  respecting  naval 
prizes,  and  obtained  legislative  authority  for  preventing  such 
nefarious  agents  from  obtaining  letters  of  attorney,  orders, 
&c.,  by  which  they  plundered  those  inconsiderate  men  of 
their  honourable  earnings,  and  even  their  last  asylum,  Green- 
wich Hospital,  of  much  of  its  revenue.  Fortunately,  with 
the  talents  of  an  able  statesman,  the  Noble  Earl  combined 
that  practical  knowledge  as  a  seaman,  which  well  qualified 
him  for  so  arduous  a  task. 


EARL  OF  ST.  VINCENT.  267 

During  his  Lordship's  presidency  at  the  Admiralty,  an 
expedition  was  sent  to  the  Baltic  for  the  purpose  of  counter- 
acting the  ill  effects  of  the  Northern  Confederacy;  it  is  need- 
less to  say,  that  this  object  was  completely  effected  by  the 
victory  obtained  over  the  Danes,  at  Copenhagen,  April  2. 
1801.*  An  attempt  made  to  destroy  the  French  flotilla  at 
Boulogne,  was  unfortunately  attended  with  a  totally  different 
result,  notwithstanding  every  thing  was  attempted  that  could 
be  expected  from  the  approved  talents  of  the  officers,  and 
the  known  bravery  of  the  men  ern  ployed,  f 

On  the  21st  of  April,  1801,  Earl  St.  Vincent  obtained  a 
patent  for  a  Viscounty,  with  a  collateral  limitation,  to  him  and 
the  heirs  male  of  his  body  lawfully  begotten ;  and  in  default, 
to  the  children  of  his  stster,  Mary,  by  her  marriage  with 
William  Henry  Ricketts,  late  of  the  island  of  Jamaica,  Esq. 
deceased. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1804,  his  Lordship  was  succeeded 
in  the  office  of  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  by  the  late 
Viscount  Melville,  the  intimate  friend  and  confidant  of  Mr. 
Pitt.  Some  remarks  having  fallen  from  the  latter  in  the 
House  of  Commons  on  the  Earl  St.  Vincent's  naval  adminis- 
tration, the  noble  Earl  took  an  opportunity,  in  the  House  of 
Lords,  on  Monday,  Feb.  llth,  1805,  after  apologizing  for 
intruding  himself  on  the  House,  to  say,  that  a  Right  Honour- 
able Gentleman,  at  the  head  of  public  affairs,  having  in 
another  place  made  his  public  conduct  the  subject  of  animad- 
version and  complaint,  he  was  desirous  of  knowing  from  the 
noble  Lord  on  the  ministerial  bench,  if  it  was  the  intention  of 

*  Sec  an  account  of  the  battle,  under  the  head  of  Sir  Thomas  Foley.  Mar- 
shall's Royal  Nav.  Biog.  vol.  i.  p.  365.  etseq. 

f  Extract  of  a  letter  from  Earl  St.  Vincent  to  Lord  Viscount  Nelson,  K.  B. 
dated  17th  August,  1801  :  — 

"  It  is  not  given  to  us  to  command  success.  Your  Lordship,  and  the  gallant 
officers  and  men  under  your  orders,  most  certainly  deserve  it :  and  I  cannot  suffi- 
ciently express  my  admiration  of  the  zeal  and  persevering  courage  with  which  this 
gallant  enterprize  was  followed  up  ;  lamenting  most  sincerely  the  loss  sustained  in 
it.  —  The  manner  in  which  the  enemy's  flotilla  was  made  fast  to  the  ground,  and 
to  each  other,  could  not  have  been  foreseen.  The  highest  praise  is  due  to  your 
Lordship,  and  all  under  your  command,  who  were  actors  in  this  gallant  attempt." 


268  EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

ministers  now  to  submit  that  conduct  to  public  enquiry,  that 
he  might  be  ready  to  meet  the  charge  ?  He  observed  that  he 
was  happy  to  see  a  Noble  Lord  present,  whose  entire  ap- 
probation, he  had  reason  to  think,  every  step  which  he  had 
taken,  while  at  the  head  of  the  Admiralty,  had  experienced. 

Lord  Hawkesbury,  in  reply,  denied  that  it  was  parlia- 
mentary to  call  on  him  to  make  an  explanation  in  allusion  to 
what  had  occurred  in  another  place.  He  was  unable  to  give 
any  precise  answer  to  the  question,  as  he  did  not  know,  fur- 
ther than  from  report,  the  nature  of  the  accusation  alluded 
to.  He  could  assure  the  Noble  Earl,  however,  that  he  was 
not  aware  that  there  was  any  intention  of  making  his  conduct 
the  subject  of  investigation* 

Earl  St.  Vincent  said,  that  on  a  subject  such  as  the  present, 
he  thought  himself  entitled  to  an  explicit  answer,  nor  would 
he  sit  down  contented  with  any  other. 

Lord  Hawkesbury  declared,  that,  as  one  of  His  Majesty's 
ministers,  he  could  only  repeat  that  it  had  never  reached  his 
ears  that  such  an  accusation  had  been  even  surmised  or 
hinted  at. 

On  the  15th  of  the  same  month,  the  Duke  of  Clarence  re- 
ferred to  what  had  passed  on  the  above  occasion.  His 
Royal  Highness  said,  that  observing  a  Noble  Viscount  pre- 
sent who  had  been  at  the  head  of  Administration,  while  his 
gallant  friend  managed  the  marine  department,  he  could  not 
forbear  from  calling  on  the  Noble  Viscount  for  a  declaration, 
now  that  he  had  joined  with  the  present  ministers,  of  the 
sense  which  he  had  formerly  held,  and  still  continued  to  hold 
of  the  conduct  of  that  gallant  commander,  while  at  the  head 
of  the  Admiralty  Board.  His  Royal  Highness  had  known 
the  Noble  Earl  for  twenty-six  years,  and  he  felt  himself  called 
on  to  state,  both  as  a  peer  of  that  house,  and  as  a  naval  officer, 
that  he  had  never  seen  cause  to  differ  from  the  Noble  Earl  but 
once ;  and  that  was  with  respect  to  his  ideas  on  the  subject 
of  the  late  peace.  Had  the  conduct  of  the  Noble  Earl  in 
his  ministerial  situation  become  the  subject  of  discussion,  it 
should  unquestionably  have  met  with  his  decided  support. 


EARL    OF    ST.  VINCENT. 

He  expected,  therefore,  from  the  Noble  Viscount,  a  con- 
sistent declaration  as  to  the  opinion  which  still  remained  on 
his  mind,  of  the  conduct  of  that  noble  and  illustrious  naval 
hero. 

Lord  Sidmouth  said,  that  called  on  as  he  had  been  by 
the  Royal  Duke,  he  could  not  resist  answering  the  question 
which  his  Royal  Highness  had  condescended  to  put  to  him. 
He  felt  no  hesitation,  therefore,  in  declaring  now,  as  he  had 
uniformly  hitherto  declared,  that  he  highly  approved  of,  and 
held  in  the  most  perfect  respect,  the  conduct  of  the  Noble 
Earl,  both  in  his  situation  as  a  naval  commander,  and  as  the 
head  of  the  marine  of  this  country.  He  would  be  guilty  of 
gross  inconsistency,  and  of  a  violation  of  his  own  firmly  fixed 
sentiments  on  the  subjecf,  did  he  not  state  so,  and  did  he  not 
state,  that  the  Noble  Earl  was,  in  his  opinion,  entitled  not  to 
the  thanks  only,  but  to  the  warmest  gratitude  of  the  country. 

The  Duke  of  Clarence  observed,  that  he  felt  pleasure  in 
hearing  the  consistent  declaration  of  the  Noble  Viscount; 
and  would  not  trouble  their  Lordships  further  on  the  subject. 

In  the  beginning  of  1 806,  when  Mr.  Fox  became  Premier, 
Earl  St.  Vincent  was  again  appointed  to  the  chief  command 
of  the  Channel  fleet,  and  was  on  that  occasion  permitted  to 
carry  the  Union  at  the  mast-head,  instead  of  his  own  proper 
flag.  In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  his  Lordship  proceeded 
to  Lisbon,  in  the  Hibernia,  a  new  first  rate;  it  is  generally 
believed  for  the  purpose  of  making  arrangements  for  the 
emigration  of  the  Royal  Family  of  Portugal,  which  country 
was  at  that  time  threatened  with  the  presence  of  a  French 
army.  In  the  month  of  March,  1807,  the  Noble  Earl  re- 
tired from  the  command  of  the  Channel  fleet. 

At  the  meeting  of  Parliament,  Jan.  13th,  1809,  the  King's 
speech  was  delivered  by  commissioners.  Among  other  topics 
it  adverted,  with  sentiments  of  satisfaction  and  exultation,  to 
the  success  of  the  British  troops  in  Portugal:  while  the  con- 
vention of  Cintra  was  spoken  ofj  as  having  caused  the  deep 
regret  of  His  Majesty. 


270  EARL    OE    ST.  VINCENT. 

When  the  address  had  been  moved  and  seconded  in  the 
House  of  Lords,  by  the  Earl  of  Bridgewater  and  Lord 
Sheffield,  the  Earl  of  St.  Vincent  rose,  and  objected  to  it  in 
strong  and  pointed  language.  He  reprobated  the  convention 
of  Cintra ;  the  transports,  for  the  procuring  of  which  mi- 
nisters took  to  themselves  such  great  merit,  and  for  which 
they  had  paid  such  enormous  sums,  "  were  at  last  employed 
to  convey  the  rascally  ruffians,  whom  Junot  commanded,  to 
that  part  of  France  which  was  nearest  the  boundaries  of 
Spain,  that  they  might,  as  speedily  as  possible,  be  again 
brought  into  action,  with  more  effect,  against  our  soldiers." 
"  So  that  these  devils,"  added  his  Lordship,  "  are,  at  this  mo- 
ment, harassing  the  rear  of  our  retreating  army."  His  Lord- 
ship, notwithstanding  the  severity  of  his  animadversions,  and 
his  total  disapproval  of  most  parts  of  the  address,  did  not 
move  an  amendment;  but  at  the  termination  of  his  speech, 
having  declared  that  it  was  probably  the  last  time  he  would 
trouble  their  Lordships,  and  wishing  them  a  good  night,  he 
instantly  walked  out  of  the  House. 

In  the  ensuing  year  (1810)  the  King's  speech  adverted  to 
the  expedition  to  the  Scheldt;  the  expulsion  of  the  French 
from  Portugal ;  and  the  victory  of  Talavera.  After  the  mov- 
ing and  seconding  of  the  address,  the  House  was  surprised 
by  Earl  St.  Vincent's  rising :  he  began,  by  stating  his  reasons 
for  having  made  his  appearance  there  again,  after  having,  at 
the  commencement  of  last  session,  bade  them  farewell ;  at 
that  time,  he  thought  that  his  age  and  infirmities  would  pre- 
vent him  from  again  presenting  himself  before  their  Lordships; 
but  the  untoward  and  calamitous  events  which  had  happened 
since  that  period,  induced  him,  if  his  strength  would  permit, 
to  trouble  them  with  his  sentiments  on  the  present  occasion. 
His  Lordship  then  touched  upon  the  battle  of  Talavera,  which 
he  denied  was  a  victory ;  and,  after  adverting  to  several  other 
topics,  not  immediately  connected  with  the  address,  he  ex- 
pressed, in  very  strong  language,  his  sentiments  respecting 
the  expedition  to  Walcheren :  he  concluded  with  assuring 
the  House,  "  that  it  was  high  time  that  parliament  should 


EARL    OF    ST,  VINCENT. 

adopt  strong  measures,  or  else  the  voice  of  the  country  would 
resound  like  thunder  in  their  ears."  The  Noble  Earl  after- 
wards voted  for  Lord  Grenville's  amendment  to  the  address. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1814,  Earl  St.  Vincent  succeeded  the 
late  Lord  Bridport,  as  General  of  the  Royal  Marines ;  and 
in  1815  he  was  elected  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society. 

During  the  summer  of  1818,  Lord  St.  Vincent  visited  that 
stupendous  national  work,  the  Breakwater  in  Plymouth 
Sound:  and  both  his  patriotism  and  curiosity  were  fully 
gratified  by  the  sight.  A  line-of-battle  ship,  the  Bulwark, 
was  lying  within  it,  as  quiet  and  easy  as  if  she  had  been  in 
Hamoaze,  immediately  after  a  smart  gale  from  the  south- 
west. The  pleasure  of  seeing  so  important  a  public  work 
in  such  a  rapid  state  of  pVogress,  must  have  been  much  in- 
creased (as  his  Lordship  confessed  was  the  case),  both  by  the 
reflection  that  he  himself  was  its  projector,  and  by  the  con- 
viction that  it  answered  his  most  sanguine  expectations. 

On  the  28th  February,  1812,  Earl  St.  Vincent  met  with  an 
accident  of  a  very  serious  nature.  His  Lordship  was  sitting 
by  himself;  and,  having  occasion  to  reach  forward,  he  un- 
fortunately fell  upon  the  grate.  His  head  came  in  contact 
with  one  of  the  spikes  which  were  placed  on  the  top  of  the 
grate  for  the  security  of  the  wood ;  and  it  was  with  some 
difficulty  that  he  forced  himself  back  from  the  fire  before  he 
sustained  any  injury  from  the  heat.  His  servants,  on  enter- 
ing, found  him  covered  with  blood,  from  a  severe  laceration 
occasioned  by  the  spike.  His  present  Majesty  was  particularly 
attentive  in  his  enquiries  on  this  occasion  ;  and  the  noble 
Earl  happily  recovered  from  the  effects  of  so  alarming  an  ac- 
cident. 

His  Lordship  attained  the  80th  year  of  his  age  on  the 
20th  January,  1814,  on  which  occasion  he  gave  an  elegant 
entertainment  to  a  large  party  at  his  Essex  estate,  presiding 
himself  in  perfect  health  and  spirits. 

On  the  19th  July,  1821,  the  day  of  his  present  Majesty's 
coronation,  Earl  St.  Vincent  was  elevated  to  the  rank  of  an 
Admiral  of  the  Fleet.  His  Lordship  had  been  senior  Ad- 


EARL  OF  ST.  VINCENT. 

miral  of  the  Red,  for  more  than  five  years  previous  to  that 
event. 

From  the  period  of  his  quitting  the  command  of  the  channel 
fleet  to  the  time  of  his  demise,  which  occurred  on  the  15th  of 
March,  1823,  Earl  St.  Vincent  resided  almost  constantly  at 
Rochetts,  in  Essex,  to  the  improvement  of  which  estate  he 
had  paid  so  much  attention,  that,  according  to  eminent  agri- 
culturists, the  value  of  the  land  is  eight  times  greater  than 
when  his  Lordship  commenced  cleaning,  fallowing,  draining, 
and  manuring  it. 

A  portrait,  by  Hoppner,  representing  this  venerable  com- 
mander in  a  naval  uniform,  on  the  quarter-deck  of  a  man-of- 
war,  being  an  admirable  likeness  of  him  in  his  old  age,  was 
exhibited  at  the  Royal  Academy,  in  1809.  A  bust  by 
Chantrey,  was  exhibited  at  the  same  time. 

Earl  St.  Vincent  married,  June  5,  1783,  his  cousin  Martha, 
daughter  of  Chief-baron  Parker,  before-mentioned.  By  that 
lady,  who  died  Feb.  8.  1816,  and  to  whose  memory  he  erected 
a  beautiful  monument  in  Caverswall  church,  Staffordshire, 
he  had  no  issue.  His  Lordship's  nephew,  Edward  Jervis 
Ricketts,  Esq.  barrister  at  law,  has  succeeded  to  the  Vis- 
county  of  St.  Vincent. 

His  Lordship  was  a  man  of  short  stature ;  his  look  was  re- 
plete with  intelligence,  and  he  had  an  eagle's  eye.  His  mind 
was  strong  and  acute.  He  was  resolute  and  unbending  in  his 
ideas  of  that  steady  discipline  and  subordination  which  the 
wisdom  of  our  forefathers,  attentive  to  the  public  good,  or- 
dained in  naval  regulations,  and  which  a  mistaken  spirit 
of  kindness  in  our  own  time  had,  on  some  occasions,  un- 
reasonably relaxed.  In  his  parliamentary  life  he  maintained 
an  upright  and  dignified  independence.  As  a  cabinet  minister, 
he  was  equally  inaccessible  by  interest  or  adulation.  *  By 

*  The  following  memorandum  was  found  among  the  MSS.  of  the  late  Alexander 
Stephens  of  Park  House,  Chelsea,  Esq.:  — 

"  I  was  much  pleased  this  morning  (February  21.  1801),  at  hearing  the  reply 
of  Earl  St.  Vincent  to  a  captain  in  the  navy,  the  eldest  son  of  a  baronet,  and  an 
admiral  of  my  acquaintance,  who  solicited  a  ship  from  him.  His  Lordship  said 
that  *  he  was  determined  not  to  grant  any  thing  to  influence  or  intercession  ;  that 


KARL  OF  ST.  VINCENT. 

sea  he  was  undoubtedly  a  great  commander,  of  high  gallantry, 
and  ascendant  genius,  and  merited  all  the  honours  conferred 
on  him.  But  the  notions  imbibed  in  a  naval  life  are  not  al- 
ways perfectly  practicable  on  shore ;  and  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  the  Earl  was  far  from  being  popular  while  at  the  head  of 
the  Admiralty.  Notwithstanding  he  rendered  much  good  to 
the  state  by  the  correction  of  abuses  in  the  dock-yards,  the 
violence  of  many  of  his  proceedings  is,  by  many,  thought 
to  require  a  better  defence  than  it  has  received ;  and  a  very 
large  and  intelligent  part  of  the  community,  who  are  free  from 
the  prejudices  of  party,  seem  persuaded  that  the  national 
benefit  was  materially  impeded  by  rash  and  inexpedient  at- 
tempts at  instantaneous  reform.  Many  old  and  useful  officers, 
and  a  vast  number  of  artificers,  were  included  in  one  sweeping 
discharge  from  the  dock-yards,  —  a  great  portion  of  those 
men  being  obliged  to  seek  their  livelihood  abroad,  entered  into 
the  Russian  and  United  States'  service,  and  were  thus  for 
ever  lost  to  their  country.  The  customary  supplies  of  timber, 
and  other  important  articles  of  naval  stores,  were  also  omitted 
to  be  kept  up  ;  and  some  articles,  including  a  large  quantity 
of  hemp,  was  actually  sold  out  of  the  service.  The  deficiency 
of  workmen  and  materials  thus  occasioned,  produced,  of 
course,  a  suspension  in  the  routine  of  dock-yard  business ; 


a  number  of  meritorious  men,  such  as  the  first  lieutenants  of  line-of-battle  ships, 
who  had  distinguished  themselves  in  action  and  become  commanders,  in  conse- 
quence of  extraordinary  services  under  him  and  other  admirals,  were  best  entitled 
to  employment,  and  that  he  would  prefer  them  above  all  others,  and  in  all  cases, 
short  of  a  royal  mandate."  To  the  honour  of  the  captain  he  retired,  feeling  the 
full  effect  and  justness  of  the  reply. 

N.B.  The  young  man  alluded  to  in  the  above  memorandum  was  heir  to  a  good 
fortune,  and  possessed  of  wit  and  humour,  and  many  of  the  best  requisites  for  a 
gentleman.  One  fault  he  had,  but  it  was  a  fault  that  precluded  his  advancement, 
ruined  his  constitution,  cut  short  his  days,  and  destroyed  the  hopes  of  his  familv 
and  acquaintance. 

Constant  and  habitual  intoxication  having  at  length  endangered  his  life,  a 
physician  belonging  to  the  fleet  told  him  that  if  he  persisted  he  would  actually  wear 
away  the  coats  of  his  stomach.  With  a  nonchalance  that  too  strongly  marked  his 
character,  he  replied,  "  I  thank  you,  Doctor,  for  your  information  ;  but  in  rase  of 
such  an  accident,  which  1  find  it  difficult  to  provide  against,  my  stomach  muet 
avr/,-  in  its  waistcoat," 

VOL.  VUI.  T 


274  EARL  OF  ST.  VINCENT. 

new  ships  could  not  be  built,  nor,  and  a  very  serious  mis- 
fortune it  was,  could  old  ships  be  repaired.  Many  of  the 
ships  put  into  commission  at  the  renewal  of  war  were,  conse- 
quently, merely  patched  up,  and  scarcely  in  a  state  to  keep 
the  sea.  There  appears  therefore  to  have  been  some  found- 
ation for  the  opinion  implied  by  Mr.  Pitt,  when  he  said  :  — - 
(( I  admire  the  dauntless  valour,  I  extol  the  splendid  achieve- 
ments, I  acknowledge  the  vast  renown  of  Lord  St.  Vincent. 
To  him  we  are  indebted  for  shedding  extraordinary  lustre  011 
our  national  glory.  But  between  His  Lordship  as  a  com- 
mander at  sea,  and  His  Lordship  as  first  lord  of  the  Admir- 
alty, there  is  a  wide  difference." 

Lord  St.  Vincent's  remains  were  privately  interred  on 
Wednesday,  March  26th,  in  the  family  vault  at  Stone ;  and 
in  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  the  House  of  Commons  ad- 
dressed His  Majesty,  praying  "  that  he  would  be  graciously 
pleased  to  give  directions  for  erecting  in  the  cathedral  church 
of  St.  Paul  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  John  Earl  of 
St.  Vincent,  as  a  testimony  of  his  distinguished  eminence  in 
the  naval  service  of  his  country,  and  as  a  particular  memorial 
of  the  important  victory  which  he  gained  over  the  Spanish 
fleet  off  Cape  St.  Vincent,  on  the  14th  of  February,  1797." 
Both  Houses  of  Parliament  subsequently  concurred  with 
the  crown  in  continuing  to  the  Viscount  of  St.  Vincent  the 
whole  pension  of  3000/.  which  had  been  granted  to  the  Earl 
and  his  heirs  male;  WOOL  of  which,  having  been  originally 
granted  by  the  Irish  Parliament,  could  not  be  attached  to  the 
viscounty  in  1801,  when  His  Majesty  was  pleased  to  extend 
that  honour  collaterally. 


No,  XIII. 


JOHN  JULIUS  ANGERSTEIN,  ESQ. 

t¥1 

1  o  the  talents,  enterprize,  and  good  faith  of  her  merchants, 
Great  Britain  is  mainly  indebted  for  her  present  wealth, 
prosperity,  and  grandeur  ;  and  in  no  member  of  the  commer- 
cial body  were  those  qualities  evermore  strikingly  exemplified 
than  in  the  venerable  and  deeply-lamented  subject  of  the 
present  memoir. 

John  Julius  Angerstein  was  descended  from  a  respectable 
Russian  family,  and  was  born  at  St.  Petersburg!!,  in  the  year 
1735.  About  the  year  174-9  he  came  over  to  England,  under 
the  patronage  of  the  late  Andrew  Thompson,  Esq.,  an  eminent 
Russian  merchant. 

Young  Angerstein  was  enp~u>yed  during  some  years  in 
Mr.  Thompson's  counting-he^  c  And,  when  of  age,  was  in- 
troduced by  his  worthy  patron  to  Lloyd's.  It  can  scarcely 
be  necessary  to  add,  that  this  is  a  coffee-house  which  derived 
its  appellation  from  the  circumstance  of  having  been  origi- 
nally kept  by  a  person  of  the  name  of  Lloyd  ;  and  that,  many 
years  ago,  it  became  the  resort  of  a  considerable  body  of  Eng- 
lish merchants,  and  other  men  of  business,  especially  brokers 
and  underwriters,  who  assembled,  as  their  successors  to  this 
day  assemble,  to  divide  among  themselves,  and  to  become  re- 
sponsible to  one  another  for,  the  loss  occasioned  by  ships 
being  either  captured,  burnt,  wrecked,  or  subjected  to  any 
other  injury  in  the  course  of  their  voyages.  Considering  the 
immense  value  frequently  trusted  on  the  ocean  in  one  bottom, 
such  casualties  would  be  too  great  for  any  individual  to  ha- 
zard, however  extensive  his  property  and  enterprising  his 
spirit. 


J-  •*•  ANGEUSTEIX,  ESQ. 

In  consequence  of  his  natural  abilities  and  his  unwearied 
application,  added  to  the  constant  observance  of  the  excellent 
master  from  whom  he  received  his  commercial  education, 
Mr.  Angerstein  soon  became  eminent  as  a  broker  and  under- 
writer. In  this  last  character,  when  his  name  appeared  on  a 
policy,  it  was  a  sufficient  recommendation  for  the  rest  of  the 
underwriters  to  follow,  without  further  examination.  Policies 
sanctioned  by  his  subscription  speedily  acquired  so  great  an 
authority,  that  for  some  years  they  were,  by  way  of  distinc- 
tion, called  "  Julians." 

This  celebrity  daily  increased.  The  circle  of  his  con- 
nections in  trade,  and  the  powers  of  his  vigorous  and  active 
mind,  gradually  expanded,  until  Mr.  Angerstein  attained  the 
highest  degree  of  commercial  importance.  To  reach  that 
eminence,  great  personal  sacrifices  were  necessary;  but, 
steady  to  his  purpose,  none  of  the  temptations  by  which  youth 
is  beset  were  powerful  enough  to  seduce  him  from  the  regular 
pursuit  of  an  object  which  demanded  incessant  toil  and  un- 
wearied perseverance. 

Previously  to  the  erection  of  the  present  suite  of  apart- 
ments, the  insurance  businef%was  carried  on  in  a  more  cir- 
cumscribed place  in  Pope's.^  oll'd  Alley.  The  frequenters  of 
Old  Lloyd's,  finding  the  rooms  extremely  unhealthy,  as  well 
as  inconvenient,  on  account  of  their  size  and  situation,  agreed 
to  open  a  subscription  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  more 
suitable  establishment.  To  carry  this  salutary  measure  into 
execution,  a  committee  was  appointed,  and  a  considerable  sum 
was  raised,  but  a  number  of  years  elapsed  before  any  great 
progress  was  made  towards  the  accomplishment  of  so  desir- 
able an  object.  At  length  Mr.  Angerstein  called  a  meeting 
of  the  subscribers,  and,  having  obtained  their  willing  consent 
to  invest  him  with  a  temporary  authority,  he,  in  his  own  name, 
procured  for  their  accommodation  the  large  and  lofty  apart- 
ments formerly  occupied  by  the  Company  of  the  British  Her- 
ring Fishery.  When  even  these  at  last  became  too  small,  in 
consequence  of  the  increasing  prosperity  of  the  empire,  he 
made  a  fresh  purchase,  and,  by  adding  the  Merchant  Sear 


J.  J.  ANGE11STEIN,  ESQ. 

men's  Office  to  the  former,  rendered  it  the  most  complete 
establishment  of  the  kind  in  Europe.  Great  public  good,  as 
well  as  private  advantage,  resulted  from  his  labours  in  this 
respect;  for  the  magnitude  and  convenience  of  the  new  ar- 
rangement put  an  entire  stop  to  the  transaction  of  business  in 
private  offices  scattered  throughout  the  metropolis,  and  thus 
economized  time,  which  is  only  another  word  for  money,  in 
the  dictionary  of  an  English  merchant.  In  short,  Lloyd's 
coffee-house  has  ever  since  been  a  kind  of  empire  within  it- 
self—  an  empire  of  almost  incalculable  resources ;  and  which, 
in  conjunction  with  the  grand  mart  of  business  below  *,  holds 
commercial  sway  over  the  trading  part  of  the  universe. 

Among  the  many^  great  services  which  Mr.  Angersteia 
rendered  to  the  interests  of  this  coffee-house,  the  following  was 
by  no  means  the  least  important.  It  was  formerly  but  too  com- 
mon a  practice,  when  vessels  had  acquired  a  bad  name,  from 
their  imperfect  state,  to  send  them  to  some  port  where  they 
were  not  known,  and,  by  re-baptizing,  to  make  them  pass  for 
ships  of  fair  character.  To  remedy  this  evil  Mr.  Angerstein 
applied  for  and  obtained  an  Act  of  Parliament,  by  virtue  of 
which  every  owner  was  prohibited  from  changing  the  name  by 
which  his  vessel  was  originally  distinguished.  The  benefit 
resulting  from  this  measure  is  incredible. 

Another  prominent  object  of  public  good  effected  by  the 
zeal  and  activity  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  was  the  issu- 
ing of  a  loan  of  exchequer  bills  for  the  relief  of  trade,  in  the 
year  1793.  About  that  time  there  was  an  alarming  want  of 
confidence  in  the  commercial  world.  This  arose  from  a  va- 
riety of  causes,  and,  among  the  rest,  the  non-arrival  of  fleets, 
with  remittances,  long  expected  from  various  quarters.  The 
existing  situation  of  France,  also,  materially  contributed  to 
the  depression  of  trade.  To  re-establish  commercial  credit, 
Mr.  Angerstein  exerted  himself;  and,  after  much  opposition 
from  some  of  the  first  merchants  in  the  city,  who  were  not  so 
well  convinced  as  himself  of  the  benefits  of  the  measure,  he 


*  The  Royal  Exchange. 
T   3 


278  J.  .1,   AXGERSTE1N,  ESQ. 

was  the  sole  means  of  procuring  from  Mr.  Pitt  a  loan  through 
the  medium  of  exchequer  bills.  This  loan  had  for  its  pur- 
pose to  assist  merchants  in  partially  realizing  a  sum  of  money 
to  an  immense  amount,  which  lay  dormant  in  colonial  pro- 
duce. The  measure  was  found  to  be  fully  adequate  to  the 
exigency  ;  yet  it  is  but  simple  justice  to  remark,  that  Mr.  An- 
gerstein  was  quite  disinterested  in  its  operation  and  success, 
except  as  far  as  every  good  citizen  may  be  said  to  be  interested 
in  the  establishment  and  diffusion  of  public  advantage. 

We  have  now  to  notice  an  event  in  Mr.  Angerstein's  life 
which  we  confess  we  cannot  regard  with  the  satisfaction  that 
results  from  the  contemplation  of  every  other  part  of  his  active 
and  honourable  career.  We  mean  his  suggestion  to  the  Mi- 
nister of  the  advantage  which  the  revenue  would  derive  from 
the  imitation  of  foreign  countries,  in  the  establishment  of  a 
state- lottery.  In  consequence  of  that  suggestion,  a  lottery 
was  immediately  proposed,  and  sanctioned  by  Parliament ; 
Mr.  Angerstein  and  his  friends  engaging  to  take  half  the 
tickets  issued.  We  are  persuaded,  that  if  Mr.  Angerstein 
had  sufficiently  considered  the  erroneous  principle  of  the 
measure,  or  if  he  could  have  foreseen  a  hundredth  part  of 
the  evils  which  have  been  occasioned  by  its  practice,  he  would 
have  been  the  last  man  in  the  world  to  countenance,  much 
less  to  originate,  so  unwise  and  so  pernicious  a  proposition. 

The  share  which  Mr.  Angerstein  had  in  the  establishment 
of  the  lottery  led  to  his  taking  a  decided,  active,  and  import- 
ant part  in  the  public  loans,  required  by  the  exigencies  of  the 
state  during  the  late  perilous  and  protracted  war.  For  many 
years  Mr.  Angerstein's  list,  in  consequence  of  the  eagerness 
which  the  wealthiest  portion  of  the  banking  and  commercial 
world  manifested  to  be  upon  it,  ranked  among  the  most  re- 
spectable, in  the  annual  competition  for  this  great  pecuniary 
contract. 

A  spirited  and  successful  enterprise  of  another  kind  is  next 
to  be  recorded.  Every  body  remembers,  or  has  read  of  the 
atrocities  of  a  being,  better  known  under  the  name  of  the 
MONSTER,  than  that  of  Renwick  Williams,  whose  horrid 
delight  it  was  to  pursue  and  maim  defenceless  women.  This 


J.  J.  ANGERSTEIN,  ESQ.  #79 

wretch  continued  his  dark  and  dastardly  practices  for  a  con- 
siderable time,  to  the  terror  of  the  female  world.  Mr.  An- 
gerstein,  justly  indignant  at  such  enormities,  and  ever  anxious 
to  redress  public  grievances  of  whatever  nature,  proposed  a 
subscription  to  bring  the  offender  to  justice.  The  plan, 
however,  meeting  with  little  encouragement,  the  MONSTER 
was  suffered  to  pursue  his  assassinating  purposes,  till  Mr.  An- 
gerstein,  without  regarding  personal  danger,  or  any  other 
inconvenience  attendant  upon  such  a  proceeding,  took  upon 
himself  to  stop  the  progress  of  this  pest  of  society.  Accord- 
ingly, in  consequence  of  his  unremitting  exertions,  the  villain 
was  apprehended,  tried  on  four  or  five  indictments,  and  cast 
in  three  of  them.  Much  as  we  rejoice  at  the  general  benignity 
and  mercy  of  the  English  laws,  we  cannot  but  regret  that  in 
this  instance  their  lenity  sentenced  the  culprit  only  to  six  years' 
imprisonment,  for  crimes  which,  in  any  other  country,  would 
have  been  followed  by  the  punishment  of  death. 

The  promptitude  with  which  Mr.  Angerstein,  as  in  the 
above  instance,  was  in  the  habit  of  obeying  a  great  and  good 
impulse,  was  among  the  most  remarkable  and  happy  points 
in  his  character.  Suddenly  struck  with  an  object  of  public 
utility,  or  of  private  service,  that  ought  to  be  attempted,  and,  if 
possible,  attained,  the  idea  was  no  sooner  conceived,  than  it 
ingrossed  his  mind  ;  from  contemplation  he  instantly  proceed- 
ed to  action;  once  convinced  of  the  solid  value,  expediency, 
propriety,  or  wisdom  of  any  undertaking,  he  never  suffered 
the  coldness  of  delay  to  hang  upon  it, 

"  To  nip  and  blast  its  favour  like  a  frost ;" 

but  urged  on  his  course  with  unabated  steadiness  towards  his 
purpose,  until  he  had  accomplished  which,  neither  his  body 
nor  his  mind  seemed  capable  of  rest ;  for  it  was  only  when 
his  efforts  had  been  crowned  with  success,  that  he  allowed 
himself  to  enjoy  the  repose  which  was  the  just  reward  of  his 
labours.  This  may  be  illustrated  by  the  following  compara- 
tively minute  occurrence,  in  which,  however,  the  same  active 
and  ardent  principle  was  exhibited. 

•r  4- 


280  J.  J.  ANGERSTEIN,    ESQ. 

Happening  one  Sunday,  contrary  to  his  usual  custom,  to 
join  the  crowds  which  flocked  to  Kensington  Gardens,  on  ap- 
proaching the  narrow,  and  at  that  time  the  only  gate  which 
led  to  and  from  the  gardens,  his  ears  were  assailed  by 
violent  female  shrieks.  On  enquiry,  he  found  that  they 
proceeded  from  a  lady,  who,  in  leaving  the  gardens,  had 
received,  in  consequence  of  the  pressure  of  the  multitude,  a 
blow  on  the  breast,  from  a  man  who  was  forcing  his  way  in* 
Concluding  that  the  same  inconvenience  and  peril  would  fre- 
quently arise  until  removed  by  an  additional  door,  Mr.  An- 
gerstein  declared  that  he  would  undertake  one  at  his  own 
expense,  rather  than  that  the  nuisance  should  continue  to  exist. 
With  his  characteristic  ardour  he  immediately  set  about  this 
little  project;  but  only  those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  im- 
pediments that  are  thrown  in  the  way  of  even  trifling  accom- 
modations, where  the  application  has  to  pass  through  a  number 
of  official  hands,  can  conceive  the  amount  of  time  and  trouble 
which  he  found  necessary  for  its  accomplishment.  Shifted 
from  one  official  person  to  another,  a  less  persevering  spirit 
would  have  given  up  the  matter  in  disgust :  but  to  yield  to 
difficulty  was  not  one  of  Mr.  Angerstein's  foibles.  After  hav- 
ing wearied  opposition,  the  door  was  at  length  made,  to  the 
benefit  of  thousands  who  are  ignorant  of  the  source  of  the 
convenience. 

To  the  indefatigable  attention  of  Mr.  Angerstein  to  public 
objects  the  country  is  also  indebted  for  the  re-establishment 
of  the  Veterinary  College,  the  funds  of  which  were  at  one 
time  extremely  low.  His  house  in  Pali-Mall  being  a  central 
point,  he  offered  it  to  the  gentlemen  who  interested  them- 
selves in  this  undertaking.  A  meeting  accordingly  took  place, 
and  a  considerable  sum  was  subscribed  for  the  restoration  of 
the  college ;  since  which  period  it  has  been  progressively  im- 
proving. 

It  is  also  greatly  to  Mr.  Angerstein's  honour,  that  he  was 
the  first  who  proposed  a  reward  of  two  thousand  pounds  from 
the  fund  at  Lloyd's,  for  that  humane  and  meritorious  invention, 


J.  J.  ANGEKSTEIN,    ESQ. 

the  life-boat,  which  has  been  the  means  of  saving  so  many 
human  beings  from  destruction. 

During  the  commercial  period  of  his  life,  Mr.  Angerstein 
was  connected  in  business  with  various  individuals  of  great 
eminence  in  the  city.  The  first  firm  was  Angerstein  and 
Dick;  the  second,  Angerstein  and  Lewis;  the  third,  Anger- 
stein, Lewis,  and  Warren ;  and  the  last,  Angerstein  and 
Rivaz.  It  may  give  some  notion  of  the  extent  of  his  trans- 
actions to  state,  that  this  last  firm,  Angerstein  and  Rivaz, 
effected  the  largest  insurance  that  ever  was  effected  on  one 

O 

bottom;  namely,  the  sum  of  656,800/.  on  the  Diana  frigate, 
from  Vera  Cruz  to  England. 

Having  at  length  accumulated  a  princely  fortune,  Mr.  An- 
gerstein, on  the  1st  of  August,  1811,  retired  from  active  life ; 
and  thenceforward  divided  his  time  chiefly  between  his  house 
in  Pail-Mall,  and  his  delightful  villa  at  Blackheath,  called 
Woodlands ;  a  spot  which,  although  only  a  few  miles  from 
the  metropolis,  exhibits  as  many  rural  graces  as  can  be  found 
in  the  deepest  recesses  of  the  country.  The  grounds  possess 
the  most  engaging  irregularity  and  variety.  The  conservatory, 
in  particular,  is  remarkable,  as  well  for  the  magnificent  yet 
simple  construction  of  the  building,  as  for  the  delicacy,  rich- 
ness, and  multiplicity  of  the  plants  with  which  it  is  stored. 
In  the  centre  of  it  stands  a  superb  and  lofty  pine  from  Van 
Dieman's  land,  for  which  Mr.  Angerstein  was  once  offered 
a  thousand  guineas. 

Mr.  Angerstein's  gallery  of  pictures,  at  his  house  in  Pall- 
Mali,  has  long  been  among  the  most  celebrated  in  London ; 
surpassed  by  several  in  extent,  but  at  least  equal  to  any  in  ex- 
cellence. The  number  of  works  of  which  it  consists  is  forty- 
two,  all  of  them  first-rate  productions.  In  collecting  them, 
Mr.  Angerstein  spared  no  justifiable  expense.  Although  his 
own  natural  taste  generally  enabled  him  to  pronounce  pretty 
accurately  on  the  good  or  on  the  bad  parts  of  any  picture  of- 
fered to  his  notice,  yet  he  had  not  enjoyed  those  opportunities 
of  observation  and  comparison  which  alone  could  have  se- 
cured him  from  occasional  imposition  in  the  attainment  of  the 


J.  ANGERSTEIN,    ESQ< 


object  which  he  had  in  view  ;  and  therefore,  with  his  usual 
good  sense,  he  sought  the  assistance  of  a  professional  friend, 
on  whose  experience  and  judgment  he  knew  he  might  safely 
rely.  That  friend  was  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  the  present 
accomplished  President  of  the  Royal  Academy  ;  between 
whom  and  Mr.  Angerstein  there  existed,  from  a  very  early 
period  of  Sir  Thomas's  splendid  career  as  an  artist,  the  closest 
intimacy.  Aided  by  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence's  advice,  and  in 
two  or  three  instances  by  that  of  Mr.  West,  the  late  Pre- 
sident of  the  Royal  Academy,  Mr.  Angerstein  gradually  ac- 
cumulated his  admirable  collection.  —  Of  the  works  by  the 
old  masters  which  it  contains,  and  which  were  principally 
selected  from  the  Orleans,  the  Borghese,  and  the  Colonna 
collections  ;  and  from  the  private  ones  of  the  King  of  Sar- 
dinia, the  Duke  de  Bouillon,  &c,,  the  following  just  and  ani- 
mated description  was  published,  in  1822,  in  the  New  Monthly 
Magazine  ;  from  which  we  take  the  liberty  of  extracting  it  : 

"  Every  picture  of  the  old  masters  in  this  Gallery  would 
claim  particular  and  individual  notice,  wherever  it  might  be 
found. 

"  The  first  picture  I  shall  mention  is  one  of  the  two  Rem- 
brandt's, —  The  Woman  taken  in  Adultery.*  Rembrandt  was 
the  eagle  of  his  art.  Light  was  the  element  in  which  his  spirit 
seemed  "  to  move  and  have  its  being."  His  senses  seemed 
delighted  to  bathe  themselves  in  floods  of  it,  and  never  to  be 
thoroughly  at  ease,  or  to  feel  their  power  in  its  fulness,  but 
when  they  were  either  communing  with  its  source,  the  sun,  or 
transferring  solid  portions  of  it  to  canvass,  to  dazzle  the  senses 
of  other  people.  I  say,  the  senses  —  for  Rembrandt/*?//  light 
as  well  as  saw  it,  and  made  the  spectator  of  his  works  feel 
it  too.  The  Woman  taken  in  Adultery  is  one  of  the  very 

*  Rembrandt  painted  this  picture  for  his  friend  and  patron,  the  Burgomaster  Six, 
in  whose  family  it  remained  until  it  was  purchased,  in  1806,  hy  M.  de  la  Fontaine, 
who  disposed  of  it  in  the  following  year  to  Mr.  Angerstein.  It  Avas  so  highly 
prized  by  the  descendants  of  the  Burgomaster,  that  it  was  with  tiic  greatest  diffi- 
culty a  view  of  it  could  be  obtained.  This  celebrated  picture  was  painted  when 
Rembrandt's  genius  was  in  its  highest  vigour.  —  Youngs  Catalogue. 


J.  J.    ANGEHSTEiN,  ESQ.  (2S3 

finest   and  most  extraordinary  of  these  works.     The  power 
displayed  in  it  of  embodying  light,  and  of  making  it  tell  upon 
the  senses  and  imagination,  as  if  it  were  a  material  thing,   is 
prodigious.     I  would  point  out,  in  particular,  as  a  remarkable 
instance  of  what  I  mean,   the  right  hand  of  the  man  who  is 
unveiling  and  pointing  to  the  culprit.     As  a  piece  of  finish- 
ing, let  it  be  contrasted  with  the  left  hand  of  the  Saviour,  and 
in  this  respect  it  will  be  found  that  there  is  no  comparison 
between   them  —  the   latter  being  exquisitely  wrought    out. 
But,  in  point  of  effect,  the  hand  I  am  alluding  to  is  infinitely 
beyond   the   other:  it   is   a  stroke   of  genius.     A  hundred 
painters  could  have  produced   the  one,  but  no  one  that  ever 
lived,  except  Rembrandt,,  could  have  produced  the  other ;  and 
yet  the  one,  perhaps,  cost  Rembrandt  himself  a  whole  day's 
labour,  and  the  other  was  done  by  three  strokes  of  the  pencil. 
Such  is  the  difference  between  a  work  of  art  (I  mean  in  its 
literal  sense)  and  a  work  of  genius.     Another  instance  (but 
not  so  striking  a  one)  of  his  extraordinary  power  in  this  way, 
is  the  head  of  the  Rabbi,  with  the  flat  cap  and  long  white 
beard,  on  the  right  of  the  centre  group.     It  strikes  me  that 
the  conception  of  one  of  the  figures  in  this  picture  (the  Saviour) 
is  exceedingly  fine  and  poetical;  and  the  execution  of  it  is 
correspondent.     The   characteristic  effect  to  which  I  allude 
seems  to  be  brought  about  by  the  peculiar  arrangement  of 
the  drapery  and  the  hair,  added  to  the  unusual  height  and 
position  of  the  figure.     It  is  perfectly  upright  and  still ;  while 
all   the  other  figures  are  either  bending  downwards  or  for- 
wards,  or  moving  in   some  way  or   other;  and  the  drapery 
and  hair   hang  plumb  down  to  the  earth,  as  if  weights  were 
fixed    to  them.     I   scarcely  know  how   to  describe  what  I 
mean,  so  as  to  be  intelligible  to  those  who  have  not  seen  the 
picture;  but  to  me  this  arrangement  of  the  drapery,  added  to 
the  arrowy  uprightness  of  the  figure,  and  its  unusual  height, 
give  an  impression   as  if  it  were   straining  upwards  to  the 
heavens,  but  yet  were  held   down   to    the   earth    by  a  still 
stronger  temporary  influence.      There    is   another    peculiar 
point  in  this  fine  picture  which  should  not  be  passed  over. 


J.  J.  ANGERSTEIN,    ESQ. 

The  glory  round  the  head  of  the  Saviour  is  so  exceedingly 
faint,  that  it  usually  requires  the  eye  of  the  imagination  to 
discover  it  at  all.  Nine  spectators  out  of  ten  would  not  see  that 
it  is  there,  unless  they  were  told  to  look  for  it;  but  when  they 
are  told,  it  becomes  perfectly  plain.  This  is  highly  poetical, 
as  well  as  philosophical,  —  at  once  acting  on  the  imagination, 
and  showing  the  mode  in  which  that  action  is  produced.  The 
contrast  between  the  two  different  departments  of  this  picture 
is  also  very  powerful.  They  are  literally  '  as  different  as 
light  from  darkness/  They  are,  in  fact,  the  very  essence  of 
each  of  these ;  the  palpable  obscure  of  the  one  being  no  less 
tangible  than  the  piercing  brightness  of  the  other.  The 
figures  and  expressions,  too,  are  very  remarkable,  and  cha- 
racteristic of  this  extraordinary  artist.  With  the  exception 
of  the  Saviour's,  they  are  nearly  all  as  simple  and  inartificial  as 
the  realities  of  every-day  life  can  make  them.  If  this  artist's 
colouring  may  be  said  to  resemble  Milton's  style  of  poetry, 
his  drawing  and  expression  are  no  less  like  Crabbe's  ;  which 
is  reaching  the  two  extremes  of  the  ideal  and  the  real.  The 
back  ground  of  this  picture,  though  it  is  kept  in  perfect  sub- 
servience to  the  principal  group  in  front,  is  rich  and  brilliant 
to  a  degree  of  splendour.  Upon  the  whole,  The  Woman 
taken  in  Adultery  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  Rembrandt's 
very  choicest  and  most  characteristic  performances. 

*.*  There  is  another  work  here  by  the  same  master,  The 
Adoration  of  the  Magi,  which,  ^though  slight  and  inefficient 
compared  with  the  above  named,  is  well  worthy  of  attention, 
particularly  from  the  student,  whom  it  may,  perhaps,  let 
farther  into  the  secret  of  this  great  artist's  mode  of  producing 
his  favourite  effects  than  his  more  finished  productions.  But 
I  notice  it  here,  because  it  affords  a  striking  example  of  an- 
other of  Rembrandt's  peculiar  qualities.  On  looking  at  the 
left  corner  of  the  picture,  at  first  nothing  can  be  distinguished 
but  a  mass  of  darkness  ;  but,  on  a  continued  and  attentive  pe- 
rusal, the  eye  will  presently  distinguish,  bit  by  bit,  the  dif- 
ferent parts  of  an  animal ;  till,  at  length,  two  cows  or  oxen 
will,  as  it  were,  come  out  from  the  darkness,  and  be  as  dis- 


J.  .T.  ANGERSTEIN,  ESQ.  285 

tinctly  visible  as  any  other  parts  of  the  picture.  This  effect 
is  exactly  similar  to  that  of  entering  an  almost  entirely  dark 
room  immediately  from  a  light  one:  at  first,  not  a  glimpse  of 
any  object  can  be  distinguished;  but  soon  the  different  ob- 
jects come  out,  and  their  forms  may  be  distinguished  as 
perfectly  as  they  can  in  broad  day-light. 

"  The  Apollo  and  Silenus,  by  Annibal  Caracci,  small  and 
insignificant  as  it  looks  at  a  distance,  is  a  noble  work,  full  of 
rich  and  rare  poetry.  It  is  a  piece  of  pure  expression 
throughout,  —  from  the  face  of  the  young  god,  down  to  the 
smallest  twig  or  weed  in  the  landscape  part  of  it,  —  if  any 
thing  so  ideal  as  this  part  is  can  be  called  a  landscape.  The 
Silenus  is  infinitely  characteristic  and  fine :  the  figure  com- 
bines strength  and  symmetry  with  an  indication  of  voluptuous 
ease  and  indolence ;  the  attitude  is  perfectly  natural,  and  yet 
highly  original  and  expressive,  bespeaking  a  half-indifferent 
attention  to  the  progress  of  his  pupil,  added  to  a  self-satisfied 
though tfulness  about  himself;  and  the  face  is  filled  to  over- 
flowing (like  a  newly  poured  out  cup  of  wine)  with  all  these 
expressions  united.  There  is  added  to  all  this,  throughout 
the  whole  figure,  an  air  of  habitual  sensuality,  which  finely 
contrasts  with,  and  sets  off,  the  all-intellectual  character  of  the 
young  god.  For  calm  modest  assurance,  and  natural  un- 
affected grace,  nothing  can  be  finer  than  this  latter.  It  is  an 
embodying  of  the  intellectual  character  of  man  in  early  youth, 
before  either  the  imagination  or  the  senses  have  been  per- 
mitted to  exercise  much  power  over  it ;  and  accordingly  the 
god  is  predominant.  But  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  there 
is  no  more  of  the  god  expressed  in  this  figure  than  naturally 
and  necessarily  belongs  to  man  in  a  certain  state  and  stage 
of  his  existence.  In  fact,  I  cannot  help  looking  at  these  two 
admirable  figures  as  explaining  and  illustrating  each  other  in 
a  particular  sense,  and  in  a  sense  not  usually  attached  to 
them  ;  the  one  representing  man  when  the  intellectual  prin- 
ciple predominates,  and  nearly  supersedes  the  animal  one; 
the  other,  when  the  animal  principle  has  gained  the  su- 
premacy: but  each  including  (as  they,  under  all  circumstances, 


286  J.  J.  ANGERSTEIN,  ESQ. 

must  do)  either  prophecies  or  reminiscences  of  the  other. 
Slight,  and  even  unfinished,  as  the  execution  of  this  picture 
is,  it  is  one  that  fixes  itself  in  the  memory,  and  will  not  be 
forgotten. 

"  The  Bacchanalian  Scene,  by  Nicolo  Poussin*,  is  evidently 
the  work  of  a  temperament  similar  to  that  which  produced 
the  highly  classical  and  poetical  picture  I  have  just  attempted 
to  describe.  The  power  of  conception  and  expression  dis- 
played in  both  is  nearly  equal ;  but  the  variety  of  character, 
the  truth  of  handling,  and  the  rich  tone  of  colour  in  the  scene 
before  us,  perhaps,  render  it  (notwithstanding  its  exception- 
able parts)  a  more  valuable  example  than  the  other  of  what 
the  art  is  capable  of  effecting.  The  one  is  more  an  effort  of 
pure  genius,  struck  off  at  a  heat,  in  a  moment  of  inspiration  ; 
the  other  is  a  noble  example  of  the  same  genius  deliberately 
doing  the  behests  of  high  art.  It  is  impossible  to  speak  in 
exaggerated  terms  of  the  admirable  truth  of  the  drawing  in 
this  picture,  the  high-wrought  expression,  and  the  elaborate 
finishing.  All  these  characteristics  may  be  strikingly  seen  in 
the  centre  group,  consisting  of  two  figures  dancing,  one  of 
whom  is  at  the  same  time  playing  on  a  pipe,  and  a  third  that  is 
kneeling  down  and  drinking  from  a  shallow  cup,  into  which 
one  of  the  other  two  keeps  pouring  wine  as  he  dances.  There 
is  a  combination  —  an  involution  of  expression  (if  I  may  so 
say)  in  this  group  that  is  extraordinary.  The  action  of  each 
figure  is  involved  in,  and  in  som£  measure  dependent  on, 
that  of  both  the  others ;  and  accordingly,  the  expressions  are 
made  to  blend  with  and  illustrate  each  other,  without  in  any 
degree  becoming  indistinct  in  themselves.  The  drinking 
figure  is  at  the  same  time  endeavouring  to  prevent  the  danc- 
ing one  from  pouring  too  much  wine  into  his  cup ;  while  the 


*  This  surprising  performance,  in  which  Poussin  has  given  life  to  ancient 
fable,  and  treated  it  with  all  the  spirit  and  taste  of  the  antique,  but  with  an 
elegance  of  composition  exclusively  his  own,  was  painted  for  his  patron,  the 
prime  minister  of  Louis  the  Xlllth.  It  formed  the  centre  of  three  pictures  :  the 
other  two  are  in  the  collection  of  the  Earl  of  Ashburnham,  and  have  been  always 
ranked  among  the  most  perfect  works  of  the  master. —  Young  s  Catalogue. 


J.  J.  ANGEIISTEIX,  ESQ.  287 

piping  one  is  at  once  piping,  dancing,  and  watching  the 
actions  of  both  these :  and  all  three  are  evidently  under  the 
influence  of  the  wine  and  music  in  which  the  whole  scene 
seems  to  be  steeped.  There  is  a  mad-headed,  tipsy  spirit  of 
revelry  pervading  the  whole,  which  is  wonderfully  true  to 
that  imaginary  nature  which  the  scene  professes  to  represent. 
Poussin's  learning,  as  usual,  intrudes  itself  into  this  picture ; 
but  it  may  well  be  forgiven,  for  the  sake  of  the  exquisite 
painting  to  which  it  gives  occasion.  I  allude  to  the  back- 
ground of  the  scene.  On  the  right  there  is  a  bit  of  colouring, 
of  flesh,  that  is  equal  to  any  thing  of  Titian's :  the  part 
I  refer  to  cannot  be  mistaken,  on  a  sight  of  the  picture.  For 
my  own  part,  I  am  not  able  to  discover  a  single  one  of 
Poussin's  faults  in  this  picture.  It  is  a  capital  performance, 
inferior  to  none  of  his  other  works. 

"  Susannah  and  the  Elders,  by  Ludovico  Caracci,  is,  in 
point  of  colouring  and  design,  one  of  the  finest  pictures  in 
this  Gallery ;  but,  as  to  its  characteristic  expression,  I  cannot 
help  differing  in  opinion  from  one  whom  I  willingly  allow  to 
be  almost  always  right  on  these  subjects.  The  Elders  are  all 
that  they  need  be ;  but  in  the  principal  figure,  the  Susannah, 
I  can  discover  no  expression  beyond  that  of  the  most  womanly 
softness,  sweetness,  and  beauty.  The  action  and  attitude  in- 
dicate a  modest  and  fearful  shrinking  into  herself;  but  the 
look  conveys  nothing  of  this.  The  truth  is,  the  painter  had 
an  ideal  of  feminine  loveliness  in  his  thoughts,  which  he  de- 
termined to  realize  on  this  occasion ;  and  he  could  not  bring 
himself  to  impair  this  by  any  expression  whatever  of  ad- 
ventitious passion.  This  is  one  of  the  most  lovely  female 
forms  and  faces  that  ever  was  painted ;  but  it  is  nothing  more. 

"  The  Christ  in  the  Garden,  by  Correggio*,  I  shall  pass  over 
almost  unnoticed.  It  is  a  celebrated  picture,  and  I  dare  not 
call  in  question  the  opinion  of  the  world  on  a  point  of  this  kind. 

*  This  celebrated  composition  was  brought  to  this  country  from  Turin,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  French  Revolution.  It  is  a  repetition  by  Correggio  of  a  picture 
now  in  the  collection  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  ;  and  \ylrieh  formed  part  of  tin- 
spoils  of  Vittoria. —  }rontig*x 


288  .T.  J.  ANGEUSTE1N,  ESQ. 

But  I  cannot  express  an  admiration  that  I  do  not  feel ;  and, 
perhaps,  the  idea  I  attach  to  the  power  of  Correggio's  pencil 
is  such  as  to  prevent  me  from  Iqoking  on  this  picture  with 
the  same  eyes  that  I  might  if  it  were  the  work  of  another,  or 
passed  under  another  name. 

"  Neither  do  1  think  very  highly  of  Annibal  Caracci's 
St.  John  in  the  Wilderness.  The  colouring  is  rich  and  fine, 
and  there  is  a  grandeur  and  force  of  style  about  the  landscape 
part  of  it ;  but  I  doubt  if  the  drawing  of  the  figure  is  correct ; 
and  the  expression  is  not  very  intelligible. 

"  The  Titians  are  not  the  most  striking  or  perfect  pictures 
in  this  collection.  There  are  three :  Venus  and  Adonis  *> 
Ganymede,  and  a  Concert.  The  Venus  and  Adonis  is  one  of 
several  repetitions  of  this  subject,  and  I  think  the  finest  of 
three  that  I  have  seen,  both  as  to  colouring  and  character. 
The  flood  of  voluptuous  expression  that  seems  to  pour  from 
the  back  of  the  Venus,  and  the  essence  of  it  that  is  concen- 
tred in  her  eager  look,  are  very  fine;  and  the  intent  and  ex- 
clusive interest  that  the  youthful  hunter  takes  in  his  projected 
sport  is  no  less  so ;  the  attitudes  of  both  are  admirably  illus- 
trative of  these  feelings  respectively.  In  the  Ganymede  there 
is  great  grandeur  of  expression  in  the  black  outspread  wings 
and  eager  beak  of  the  eagle  that  is  bearing  the  boy  aloft ;  and 
the  look  of  the  captive  is  very  intense  and  fine.  But  the 
Concert  or  Music  Piece  is  perhaps  more  characteristic  of 
Titian's  style  and  power  than  either  of  the  other  pictures.  It 
is  light  and  sketchy  in  its  execution,  but  full  of  life,  spirit, 
and  effect.  For  the  ear  of  the  imagination  this  picture  has  a 
voice.  It  "pipes  to  the  spirit  ditties  of  no  tone."  It  is 
"  most  musical."  The  boy  in  the  right-hand  corner  is  the 
mouth-piece  of  the  picture ;  it  is  he  alone  that  is  in  the  act  of 
singing;  the  others  are  playing,  or  waiting  to  catch  the  mo- 

*  It  is  probable  that  Titian  bestowed  the  greatest  attention  upon  this  individual 
work,  having  painted  many  repetitions,  with  variations  in  the  back-ground. 
There  is  an  old  print  of  it,  with  a  tablet  in  the  corner,  v.-luch  states  the  head  of 
the  Adonis  to  be  a  youthful  portrait  of  Philip  the  Si'cpnd  ;  and  that  iht1  picture 
was  painted  for  ihat  monarcj).  —  Yoniif^a  C<ttnl»«up. 


J.  Jv  ANGERSTEIN,  ESQ.  289 

ment  when  it  shall  be  their  turn  to  join  in.  The  girl  in  the 
left  corner,  who  is  looking  out  of  the  picture,  seems  to  be  a 
listener  only. 

"  There  are  two  very  fine  Rubens  here.  One  of  them, 
The  Rape  of  the  Sabines  *,  is  a  splendid  specimen  of  this 
artist's  colouring.  It  is  one  wide  flush  of  various,  yet  har- 
monious sweetness.  Its  effect  on  the  eye  is  like  that  of  a  rich 
harmony  on  the  ear.  That  appearance  of  motion,  too,  in  the 
production  of  which  Rubens  so  much  excelled,  is  very  re- 
markable, in  this  picture.  The  different  actions  seem,  as  it 
were,  going  on ,-  we  feel  as  if  we  were  watching  their  progress, 
not  merely  observing  their  present  state.  The  costume  of  the 
females,  consisting  of  the  silks  and  satins  of  Rubens's  own 
time,  are  sufficiently  open  to  criticism;  and  no  doubt  they 
spoil  the  general  effect  of  the  picture,  as  a  work  of  art  ap- 
pealing to  the  imagination  as  well  as  the  senses.  But  if  we 
would  enjoy  the  operations  of  genius,  we  must  submit  to  the 
freaks  in  which  it  will  sometimes  indulge  itself.  If  Rubens 
had  been  compelled  to  deny  himself  the  use  of  this  anachronism, 
he  would  probably  not  have  painted  the  picture  at  all ;  and 
should  we  have  been  better  off  then  ?  —  Assuredly  not.  If 
we  cannot  accept  it  as  a  true  and  classical  representation  of 
the  scene  that  it  bears  the  name  of,  let  us  receive  it  as  an 
appeal  to  the  senses  alone  —  and  be  content.  The  rich 
harmony  of  its  colouring,  and  the  spirit  of  motion  that  every 
where  pervades  it,  make  it  as  good  a  thing  to  look  upon  as  a 
bed  of  garden-flowers  blown  about  by  the  wind. 

"  I  cannot  but  think  that  the  other  picture  by  this  artist  is 
not  much  more  consistent  than  the  above  in  costume,  without 
being  so  fine  a  piece  of  colouring,  or  any  thing  like  so  rich 
a  composition. 

"  Let  us  turn  now  to  what  is,  as  a  single  picture,  perhaps, 
the  chief  pride  and  ornament  of  this  collection :  I  mean,  The 

*  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  states  this  picture  to  have  been  the  property  of  Madame 
Boschaerts,  at  Antwerp,  in  1781 ;  and  that  its  value  was  then  estimated  at 
22,000  guilders.  v 

VOL.  VIII.  U 


290  J.  J.  ANGERSTEIN,  ESQ. 

Raising  of  Lazarus,  by  Sebastian  del  Piombo.  *  This  must 
not  only  be  regarded  as  the  finest  work  of  the  master,  but  as 
capable  of  bearing  a  comparison  with  the  very  finest  works 
of  other  masters  of  still  more  distinguished  reputation.  The 
vigour  and  spirit  of  the  design  is  worthy  of  Michael  Angelo ; 
and  perhaps  this  it  is  which  has  given  rise  to  the  opinion  that 
he  actually  did  design  it  —  for  I  believe  there  are  no  very 
satisfactory  proofs  as  to  the  fact.  The  figure  of  Lazarus,  in 
particular,  is  a  perfect  and  admirable  example  of  the  great 
style,  not  only  in  design,  but  in  colouring  and  expression. 
The  bodily  action  is  that  of  bursting  and  escaping  from  the 
grave-clothes  that  bind  his  limbs,  —  so  that  every  muscle  of 
the  frame  is  in  action ;  and  the  expression  is  made  up  of  the 
wonder  and  awe  that  may  be  supposed  to  take  possession  of 
his  mind  on  waking  from  the  sleep  of  death,  mingled  with 
impatience  at  finding  himself  thus  imprisoned  in  the  apparel 
of  the  tomb.  The  female  figure  in  the  centre  (Mary,  the 
sister  of  Lazarus)  is  also  exceedingly  intense  and  poetical. 
Solemn  wonder  and  eager  anxiety  share  her  fine  uplifted 
countenance  between  them ;  but  there  is  no  weakness,  or  in- 
credulity, or  fear.  Next  to  these  two,  the  most  striking  ob- 
jects are  an  old  man  kneeling  behind  the  Saviour  —  a  fine 
intellectual  profile  in  the  back-ground,  in  a  style  exactly 
similar  to  that  of  the  female  figure  I  have  noticed  above  — 
and  a  most  extraordinary  head  immediately  behind  the 
Saviour's,  and  seemingly  intended  to  contrast  with  that.  The 
draperies  in  this  picture  are  in  the  same  grand  style  as  the 
figures,  and  they  include  several  patches  of  white  in  different 

*  The  Cardinal  Giulio  de  Medici,  afterwards  Clement  the  Seventh,  for  whom 
Raphael  painted  the  "  Transfiguration,"  being  desirous  of  presenting  an  altar- 
piece  to  the  cathedral  church  at  Narbonne,  engaged  Sebastian  del  Piombo  to 
execute  a  work  of  the  same  dimensions,  selecting  for  his  subject  "  The  Resurrec- 
tion of  Lazarus."  The  composition  of  this  grand  picture  was  entirely  the  work 
of  Buonarotti ;  and  the  execution  of  the  figure  of  Lazarus  "  rejects  the  claim  of 
every  other  hand."  Before  this  celebrated  picture  was  sent  to  Narbonne,  it  was 
exhibited  at  Rome,  in  competition  with  the  last  work  and  the  chef-d'oeuvre  of 
Raphael,  and  excited  universal  admiration.  It  was  placed  in  the  Orleans'  collec- 
tion by  the  Regent  of  France ;  and  subsequently  purchased  from  the  proprietor 
by  Mr.  Angerstein.  —  Young's  Catalogue. 


J.  J.  ANGERSTEItf,  ESQ.  291 

parts,  which  give  a  fine  sepulchral  effect  to  the  scene ;  which 
effect  is  aided  by  the  solemn  gloom  that  pervades  the  whole  of 
the  background,  the  sky,  &c.  Expression  —  depth  and  unity 
of  expression,  and  grandeur  of  general  effect,  seem  to  be  the 
characteristics  of  this  noble  composition.  In  the  former  of 
these  respects,  it  may,  perhaps,  claim  to  rank  with  some  of 
Raphael's  very  finest  works ;  and  certainly,  for  solemn  gran- 
deur of  effect,  it  is  surpassed  by  none. 

"  The  only  other  pictures  I  shall  notice  at  any  length  are 
the  Claudes ;  which,  after  all,  form  the  grand  staple  of  this 
collection.  And  how  shall  I  contrive  to  speak  of  these  in 
words  that  shall  express  my  feelings  about  them,  and  yet  keep 
within  those  sober  and  subdued  limits  provided  for  such  oc- 
casions ?  —  But  I  write  foV  those  who  have  either  seen  these 
pictures,  or  intend  to  see  them;  and  who  have  also  seen 
enough  of  Nature  to  be  capable  of  loving  he?'  in  and  through 
them :  so  that  I  need  not  fear.  There  are  no  less  than  five  of 
these  exquisite  works ;  four  of  which  are  not  only  first-rate, 
but,  as  far  as  my  experience  extends,  the  four  finest  works  of 
their  author.  I  do  not  envy  the  judgment  of  those  who  can, 
after  a  due  deliberation  on  the  subject,  determine  which  of 
these  four  pictures  is  the  best.  It  seems  to  me  a  kind  of  im- 
pertinence in  any  one  to  attempt  this  —  unless  it  be  a  picture- 
dealer.  As  some  one  has  said  of  the  Scotch  Novels,  that  is 
the  best  which  happens  to  be  before  you.  Three  of  these 
pictures  bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  each  other  in  subject, 
style  and  general  effect ;  being  all  views  of  some  ideal  sea- 
port, with  classical  buildings  on  each  side,  the  sea  occupying 
the  whole  of  the  centre,  and  stretching  away  into  the  dim 
distance,  with  the  sun  shining  full  upon  it  from  near  the 
horizon,  and  ships  at  anchor,  with  their  bare  masts  shooting 
up  into  the  kindling  sky,  and  crossing  the  light  so  as  to  re- 
lieve its  otherwise  too  brilliant  effect.  The  fourth  is  a  lovely 
expanse  of  country,  bounded  by  scarcely  visible  hills ;  with  a 
broad  glassy  water  in  the  centre,  to  which  the  effect  of  motion 
is  given  by  breaking  it  all  across  by  a  slight  fall,  and  by  per- 
mitting the  eye  to  trace  its  source  up  into  the  beautiful  hills 

u  2 


J.  J.  ANGERSTEIN,  ESQ. 

that  occupy  the  left  side  of  the  picture :  this  imaginary  effect 
of  motion,  and  consequently  of  coolness  and  freshness,  is  com- 
pleted by  a  mill  which  is  placed  in  the  fore-ground.     No  one 
equalled  Claude  for  the  unity  of  expression  that  he  contrived  to 
preserve  in  his  pictures.     If  this  mill  had  been  any  thing  but 
precisely  what  it  is,  it  would  have  ruined  the  effect  of  the  scene, 
standing  so  conspicuously  as  it  does  in  the  centre.    But  the  mill 
is  formed  out  of  what  has  been  the  ruin  of  some  classical  temple; 
and  to  correspond  with  this,  and  continue  its  effect  throughout 
the  scene,   ruined  arches  and  broken  columns  are  scattered 
about  in  the  distance  here  and  there,  but*  so  dimly  seen  as 
scarcely  to  create  a  consciousness  of  their  presence :  they  act, 
.and  are  intended  to  act,  on  the  imagination  alone.     It  strikes 
me  that  these  kind  of  scenes,  when  painted  by  Claude  in  his 
best  manner,  bear  exactly  that  kind  of  resemblance  to  similar 
scenes  in  nature,  which  the  echo  of  a  musical  sound  bears  to 
the  sound  itself;  and  that  they  affect  us  in  a  similar  manner : 
they  have  the  same  exact  truth  of  intonation,  if  I  may  use  the 
phrase,  added  to  the  same  dim,   distant,  aerial,  impalpable 
effect.     Though  I  think  it  an  impertinence  to  inquire  which 
is  the  best  of  these  delicious  works,  yet  there  is  no  harm  in 
determining  which  one  would  like  best  to  be  the  possessor  of. 
And  even  this  would  be  a  puzzling  question  to  decide  on,  if 
one  actually  had  the  choice.     For  my  own  part,  I  should  not 
choose  either  of  the  celebrated  Altieri  pictures  —  the  Land- 
scape with  the  Mill,  and  the  Embarkation  of  the  Queen  of 
Sheba  *  ;  nor  the  Embarkation  of  St.  Ursula  and  the  Virgins  f 
—  which  is,  I  believe,  the  most  general  favourite,  and  is,  in- 
deed, beautiful  beyond  expression,     I  should  pitch  upon  the 
,  one  that  hangs  in  the  left  corner  of  the  inner  room,  e  mak- 
.  ing  a  sunshine  in  a  shady  place.'     And  yet,  without  very  well 

*  This  picture  former  ly  belonged  to  the  collection  of  the  Due  de  Bouillon , 

and  was  purchased  at  Paris,  during  the  early  part  of  the  French  revolution,  by 

•  Mr.  Erard,  who  afterwards  disposed  of  it  to  Mr.  Angerstein. — Young's  Catalogue. 

f  This  picture  formerly  belonged  to  the  Barberini  Palace,  and  was  purchased, 

about  fifty  years  since,  by  Mr.  Lock,  who  disposed  of  it,  with  his  entire  collection, 

to  Mr.  Van  Heythuson.     It  afterwards  became  the  property  of  Mr.  Desenfans, 

who  sold  it  to  Mr.  Angerstein. — Young's  Catalogue. 


J.  J.  ANGERSTEIN,  ESQ. 

knowing  why,  unless  it  be  that  it  pours  from  every  part  of  it 
a  flood  of  light  and  warmth  into  the  very  depths  of  the 
heart ;  at  once  soothing  the  passions  of  earth  to  an  unearthly 
stillness,  while  it  makes  the  blood  seem  to  dance  and  sparkle 
within  us  to  the  music  of  its  dancing  and  sparkling  waters. 
To  stand  before  that  picture,  is  to  be  happy,  whatever  one's 
lot  may  be ;  and  to  leave  it,  is  to  leave  looking  into  the  very 
heart  and  soul  of  nature. 

"  That  I  may  not  pass  over  any  pictures  of  the  old  mas- 
ters in  this  choicest  of  all  collections,  I  will  mention  that 
there  are  two  capital  landscapes  by  Gaspar  Poussin,  one  of 
which  in  particular  (the  Sacrifice  of  Isaac,)  possesses  all  his 
truth,  purity,  and  richness^  of  effect;  a  portrait  of  Philip  IV. 
of  Spain  and  his  Queen,  by  Velasquez,  which  might  be  mis- 
taken for  Vandyke;  one  picture  by  Vandyke  himself*,  of 
which  there  is  an  exact  repetition  by  Rubens,  which  latter 
has  been  engraved  —  unless  the  engraving  has  been  made 
from  this  very  picture,  and  Rubens's  name  attached  to  it;  a 
landscape  by  Cuyp  f,  and  finally,  an  admirable  portrait,  by 
Raphael,  of  Pope  Julius  II." 

There  is  a  picture  by  Vandyke,  —  the  celebrated  portrait 
of  Gevartius,  an  eminent  scholar,  and  writer  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  —  not  noticed  in  the  foregoing  description. 
Probably,  at  the  time  the  description  was  written,  the  picture, 
was  at  the  Royal  Academy,  to  which,  as  also  to  the  British 
Institution,  Mr.  Angerstein,  with  his  wonted  kindness,  occa- 
sionally lent  it,  for  the  study  of  young  artists.  It  is  generally 
acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  finest  heads  in  the  world;  and 

*  A  celebrated  picture  of  this  subject  (the  Emperor  Theodosius  refused  ad- 
mittance to  the  Church  at  Milan  by  Archbishop  Ambrose,)  was  executed  by 
Rubens ;  and  is  now  in  the  collection  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  at  Vienna. 
This  picture  was  painted  while  Vandyke  was  a  student  in  the  school  of  the  great 
Flemish  painter ;  whose  design,  with  a  little  variation,  he  adopted.  It  was  pur- 
chased at  Lord  Scarborough's  sale  in  Yorkshire,  by  Mr.  Hastings  Elwyn,  who 
disposed  of  it  to  Mr.  Angerstein. — Young' s  Catalogue. 

f  This  picture  belonged  to  the  late  Lord  Dundas,  whose  collection  was  sold 
about  thirty  years  since,  by  Mr.  Greenwood.  It  was  purchased  at  the  sale  by 
Mr.  Angerstein. — Young's  Catalogue. 

u  3 


J.  J.  ANGERSTEIN,  ESO. 

Is  painted  with  more  fulness  of  pencil,  and  variety  of  colour, 
than  Vandyke  usually  indulged  in.  The  way  in  which  Mr. 
Angerstein  became  possessed  of  this  picture  affords  a  striking 
illustration  of  the  liberality  of  his  character.  It  belonged  to 
a  gentleman  who  was  the  confidential  clerk  of  a  great  mer- 
cantile house  in  the  city,  and  who,  having  some  taste  for  the 
arts,  had  gradually  got  together  a  small  collection  of  paint- 
ings. Mr.  Angerstein,  hearing  of  this  particular  picture,  called 
to  see  it,  and  was  so  much  charmed  with  it  that  he  wished  to 
purchase  it.  The  proprietor  asked  five  hundred  guineas  for  his 
favourite.  Mr.  Angerstein,  thinking  that  too  much,  offered 
three  hundred ;  which  offer  was  declined,  and  the  negotiation 
terminated.  Some  years  after,  an  unfortunate  misunderstand- 
ing having  taken  place  between  the  individual  alluded  to,  and  his 
employers,  he  lost  his  situation,  which  was  a  very  lucrative  one, 
and  having  a  family,  he  in  a  short  time  became  so  much  em- 
barrassed, that  he  was  under  the  necessity  of  disposing  of  his 
collection.  Recollecting  Mr.  Angerstein's  partiality  for  the 
Portrait  of  Gevartius,  he  wrote  to  that  gentleman,  mentioned 
his  reduced  circumstances,  and  intimated  his  readiness  to 
accept  the  offer  of  three  hundred  guineas,  which  Mr.  Anger- 
stein had  formerly  made  him.  Mr.  Angerstein  immediately 
sent  for  the  picture  by  a  messenger ;  who,  at  the  same  time, 
conveyed  a  letter  to  its  owner,  expressive  of  Mr.  Angerstein's 
regret  at  his  misfortunes,  and  enclosing  a  check  for  five  hun- 
dred guineas. — It  is  difficult  to  conceive  a  transaction  which 
would  more  pleasingly  exemplify  the  qualities  of  prudence, 
and  self-denial,  in  the  first  instance,  and  of  delicacy,  and  gene- 
rosity, in  the  second. 

There  are  also  a  few  fine  paintings  by  modern  masters  in 
the  collection.  Among  them  are  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds'  noble 
half  length  portrait  of  Lord  Heathfield ;  Hogarth's  inimita- 
ble series  of  the  Marriage  a  la  mode*,  the  merits  of  which 

*  These  pietures  were  originally  bought  by  Mr.  Lane,  for  one  hundred  and 
twenty  guineas.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Lane  in  1792,  they  became  the  property 
of  Colonel  Cawthorne  by  inheritance  ;  they  were  put  up  to  public  sale,  in  the 


J.  J.  ANGERSTEIN,  ESQ.  295 

are  much  too  well  known  to  require  the  slightest  «omment ; 
three  of  Mr.  Fuseli's  stupendous  and  sublime  pictures  from  his 
"  Milton  Gallery ;"  and  that  lively  representation  of  the  hu- 
mour of  humble  country  life  called,  "  The  Alehouse  Door," 
by  Mr.  Wilkie. 

At  Woodlands  there  are  two  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds's 
masterpieces  :  "Garrick  between  tragedy  and  comedy  ;"  and 
"  the  Sleeping  Nymph." 

Thus  surrounded  by  every  thing  that  was  beautiful  and  va- 
luable in  nature  and  in  art,  and  enjoying  the  society  of  all  the 
first'characters  of  the  age,  whether  remarkable  for  the  superi- 
ority of  their  condition,  or  for  the  lustre  of  their  talents  and 
virtues,  Mr.  Angerstein  continued  to  "crown  a  youth  of 
labour,  with  an  age  of  ease,"  until  he  had  attained  nearly  to 
his  eighty-eighth  year.  His  decease  took  place  at  Woodlands, 
on  the  22d  of  January,  1823  ;  after  an  indisposition  of  not 
more  than  a  week ;  and  he  retained  all  his  faculties  to  the 
last. 

Mr.  Angerstein  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  the 
widow  of  Charles  Crokatt,  Esq.  who  had  been  left  with  two 
sons,  and  two  daughters.  By  her  he  had  one  son,  and  one 
daughter ;  John,  (formerly  member  of  Parliament  for  the  Bo- 
rough of  Camelford,)  who  married  the  beautiful  and  amiable 
daughter  of  William  Lock,  Esq.  of  Norbury  Park,  by  whom 
he  has  three  sons  and  two  daughters ;  and  Juliana,  who  mar- 
ried General  Nicholas  Sablonkoff.  It  is  highly  honourable 
to  Mr.  Angerstein's  feelings  that  his  affections  were  equally 
divided  between  his  own  children  and  those  of  Mrs.  Anger- 
stein by  her  former  husband.  Mr.  Angerstein's  second  wife 
was  Mrs.  Lucas,  the  widow  of  a  respectable  merchant,  by  whom 
he  had  no  issue,  and  whom  he  survived  many  years. 

Mr.  Angerstein' s  remains  were  interred  at  Greenwich. 
The  funeral  was  attended,  among  others,  by  Admiral  Sir 


same  year,  and  bought  in  by  the  proprietor,  who  accepted  three  hundred  pounds, 
from  Mr.  Alderman  Boy  dell  for  the  privilege  of  engraving  prints  from  them ;  and 
in  1797,  they  were  purchased  by  Mr.  Angerstein  for  one  thousand  guineas. — 
Young* s  Catalogue. 

U    4? 


296  J.  J.  ANGERSTEIN,  ESQ. 

George  Martin,  and  Andrew  Henry  Thompson,  Esq.  his 
executors ;  Sir  Edward  Antrobus,  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence, 
the  Rev.  George  Lock,  V.  F.  Rivaz,  Esq.  H.  Crokatt,  Esq. 
J.  W.  Warren,  Esq.  Mr.  Gibson,  a  gentleman  who  had  been 
a  clerk  with  Mr.  Angerstein  for  52  years,  and  who  is  still 
in  the  office  of  his  successors,  &c.  &c. 

On  Mr.  Angerstein's  will  being  proved,  the  personal  pro- 
perty was  sworn  to  be  under  five  hundred  thousand  pounds. 
He  left  the  life  interests  of  his  estates  in  Norfolk,  Kent,  Lin- 
coln, and  Suffolk,  to  his  son ;  at  whose  death  the  ^estates 
are  to  go  to  his  three  grandsons.  To  each  of  his  grand- 
daughters he  bequeathed  25,000?. ;  to  his  daughter-in-law, 
Emelia  Boucherett.,  wife  of  Ayscough  Boucherett,  Esq.  the 
interest  of  20,000/.  for  her  life ;  the  principal  to  be  divided 
at  her  death  among  her  children.  To  his  daughter,  Juliana 
SablonkofF,  he  left  the  dividend  for  life  on  12,000  paper  rubles 
of  Russian  loan ;  the  principal  at  her  death  to  go  to  her  husband, 
and  children.  His  daughter-in-law,  Amelia  Angerstein,  is  to 
have  an  annuity  of  500/.  during  the  life  of  her  husband,  John 
Angerstein,  Esq.  and,  should  she  survive  him,  a  further  annuity 
of  1,500/.  The  pictures  in  Pall  Mall  are  to  be  sold ;  those  at 
Woodlands,  with  the  plate,  &c.  are  entailed.  The  will  is 
dated  the  16th  Jan.  1823. 

The  person  of  Mr.  Angerstein  was  manly,  noble,  and  com- 
manding ;  his  manners  were  easy,  unaffected,  and  calculated 
to  invite  respect  and  confidence ;  his  address  was  simple,  but 
highly  prepossessing;  his  conversation  was  open  and  in- 
genuous, without  any  mixture  of  disagreeable  levity  on  the 
one  hand,  or  of'  assumed  gravity  on  the  other ;  his  counte- 
nance in  particular  was  marked  by  those  traits  of  beneficence 
which  were  reflected  from  his  mind,  and  which  shone  so  con- 
spicuously in  his  numerous  benefactions  to  the  noblest,  ten- 
derest,  and  best  of  the  charitable  institutions  which  this 
country  has  founded.  And  here  it  ought  to  be  remarked, 
that  although  Mr.  Angerstein's  name  was  always  one  of  the 
foremost  in  every  loyal,  patriotic,  and  benevolent  contribu- 
tion, nothing  could  be  more  opposite  to  his  character  than 


J.  J.  ANGERSTfilN/  ESQ.  297 

the  slightest  parade  or  ostentation.  He  was  actuated  solely 
by  an  overflowing  kindness  of  heart,  and  by  an  ardent  love  for 
that  which,  although  not  his  native  country,  was  the  country 
of  his  adoption,  of  his  residence  during  by  far  the  greater 
part  of  his  life,  and  of  his  affections.  No  man  shrunk  with 
more  modesty  and  diffidence  from  the  praise  to  which  his 
good  deeds,  whether  as  a  public  or  as  a  private  individual, 
justly  entitled  him ;  of  which  the  following  authentic  anecdote, 
which  may  be  considered  as  one  of  a  thousand  of  a  similar 
nature,  furnishes  a  pleasing  proof. 

A  gentleman  possessed  of  considerable  property,  unfor- 
tunately became  engaged  in  litigation  ;  in  the  course  of  which, 
step  by  step,  the  chicanery  of  his  opponent  divested  him  of 
every  shilling  he  had  in  the  world,  and  of  every  shilling  he 
could  borrow  from  his  connexions.  While  in  this  destitute 
condition,  his  solicitor  called  on  him,  and  pointed  out  a  sum- 
mary proceeding,  by  which,  if  he  could  previously  raise  only  a 
hundred  pounds,  he  might  be  restored  to  the  enjoyment  of  all 
that  he  had  lost/  To  procure  such  a  sum  appeared  in  the 
first  instance  an  impossibility.  He  had  heard  however  of 
Mr.  Angerstein's  character,  and  of  some  singular  acts  of  dis- 
interested kindness  on  the  part  of  that  gentleman,  and  in  a 
bold  and  happy  moment,  he  took  the  resolution,  although 
personally  unknown  to  Mr.  Angerstein,  to  address  him  by 
letter,  to  state  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  and  to  entreat 
his  assistance.  Mr.  Angerstein,  having  made  the  necessary 
inquiries  to  ascertain  that  no  imposition  was  intended,  sent 
the  applicant  the  sum  required.  In  ten  days,  the  gentleman 
waited  on  Mr.  Angerstein,  repaid  the  loan  with  expressions 
of  the  Deepest .  gratitude,  and  offered  Mr.  Angerstein  ten 
thousand  pounds,  which  he  had  just  recovered,  to  employ  in 
any  manner  he  thought  proper.  —  A  short  time  after  this 
transaction,  a  friend  of  Mr.  Angerstein's  to  whom  the  obliged 
individual  in  question  had  communicated  all  the  particulars 
of  it,  took  an  opportunity,  at  Mr.  Angerstein's  table,  without 
mentioning  names,  to  begin  to  relate  the  story.  Mr.  Anger- 
stem  listened  with  the  profound  attention  which  a  tale  of 


298  J.  J.  ANGERSTEIN,  ESQ. 

misfortune  always  excited  in  him,  his  eyes  filled  with  tears, 
and  he  evinced  every  other  symptom  of  sincere  sympathy. 
Suddenly,  however,  he  became  aware  that  it  was  the  occur- 
rence in  which  he  had  taken  so  noble  a  part  that  was  about 
to  be  described;  when  nothing  could  exceed  his  confusion 
and  distress.  The  colour  rushed  into  his  face,  he  coughed, 
and  winked,  and  frowned  at  his  guest,  who,  at  length,  to 
spare  his  feelings,  abstained  from  proceeding,  and  contrived 
to  change  the  subject  of  conversation. 

As  a  husband  and  parent,  Mr.  Angerstein  was  affectionate ; 
as  a  landlord,  considerate  and  liberal.  In  him,  the  character 
of  a  British  merchant  was  developed  in  the  most  honourable 
manner ;  for  as  his  wealth  was  drawn  from  trade,  so  was  it 
freely  expended  in  the  protection  and  encouragement  of  the 
arts,  and  in  the  diffusion  of  knowledge.  When  industry  is 
united  with  generosity  and  liberality,  and  commerce  becomes 
the  handmaid  to  civilization  and  science,  they  confer  the 
highest  honour  and  happiness  on  a  country.  Englishmen 
must  feel  proud  in  the  remembrance  of  many  characters  illus- 
trative of  this  remark,  while  they  regret  the  loss  of  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  in  Mr.  Angerstein. 


299 


No.  XIV. 

THE   RIGHT    HONOURABLE 

JOHN  HOPE,  EARL  OF  HOPETOUN; 

VISCOUNT  AITHRIE;  LORD  HOPE;  BARON  HOPETOUN  OF  HOPE- 
TOUN; BARON  NIDDRY,  CO.  LINLITHGOW;  HEREDITARY  KEEPER 
OF  LOCHMABEN;  LORD  LIEUTENANT  OF  LINLITHGOWSHIRE ; 
A  PRIVY  COUNSELLOR  IN  IRELAND;  K.  G.  C.  B.  A  GENERAL  IN 
THE  ARMY  ;  COLONEL  OF  THE  92D  FOOT  (ROYAL  HIGHLANDERS)  ; 
GOVERNOR  OF  THE  ROYAL  BANK  OF  SCOTLAND  ;  CAPTAIN-GENE- 
RAL OF  THE  ROYAL  COMPANY  OF  ARCHERS,  &C.  &C. 

MottO  — -  AT  SPES  NON    FRACTA. 

J.  HE  surname  of  Hope  is  of  great  antiquity  in  Scotland. 
John  de  Hope  swore  'fealty  to  King  Edward  the  First,  when 
he  overran  Scotland,  in  1296.  Another  John  de  Hope  had 
a  protection  from  King  Henry  the  Fourth,  in  1405.  Thomas 
de  Hope  had  a  charter  of  some  lands  near  Leith,  in  1488. 
John  de  Hope,  the  immediate  ancestor  of  the  family  of  the 
noble  and  gallant  subject  of  this  memoir,  is  said  to  have  come 
from  France  during  the  reign  of  Magdalen,  Queen  of  James 
the  Fifth,  in  1537.  Settling  in  Scotland,  he  married,  and  had 
a  son,  Edward,  who  was  one  of  the  most  considerable  inhabi- 
tants of  Edinburgh  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary ;  and  who, 
being  a  great  promoter  of  the  Reformation,  was  chosen  one  of 
the  commissioners  for  that  metropolis  to  Parliament,  in  1 560. 
He  was  the  father  of  Henry  Hope,  an  eminent  merchant  j 
who,  having  frequent  occasion  to  visit  the  continent,  in  one  of 
his  excursions  married  a  French  lady,  Jaqueline  de  Tott,  and 
by  her  had  two  sons  :  Henry,  the  ancestor  of  the  great  and 
opulent  branch  of  the  Hopes,  long  settled  at  Amsterdam ; 
and  Thomas,  who,  entering  on  the  study  of  the  Jaw,  made  so 


300  EARL    OF   HOPETOUN. 

rapid  a  progress  in  juridical  knowledge,  that  he  was  at  an 
early  age  called  to  the  bar.  His  practice  was,  however, 
limited,  until  1606,  when  he  undertook  the  defence  of  the  six 
ministers  tried  for  high  treason  in  denying  that  the  king  pos- 
sessed authority  in  ecclesiastical  matters.  At  that  important 
trial,  he  conducted  himself  so  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
Presbyterians,  that  they  never  afterwards  engaged  in  any 
business  of  consequence  without  previously  consulting  him; 
and  he  came  into  the  best  practice  in  the  kingdom.  By  this 
means,  in  a  few  years,  he  accumulated  one  of  the  largest  for- 
tunes ever  acquired  at  the  Scots  bar,  which  enabled  him  to 
make  very  extensive  landed  purchases  in  the  counties  of 
Edinburgh,  Haddington,  Stirling,  Berwick,  and  Fife.  His 
reputation  now  advanced  so  high,  that  he  was  constituted 
King's  Advocate,  jointly  with  Sir  William  Oliphant  of  New- 
ton ;  and  was  created  a  Baronet,  February  llth,  1628.  Sir 
William  Oliphant  dying  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  King 
Charles  the  First  was  pleased  not  only  to  appoint  Sir  Thomas 
Hope  his  sole  advocate,  but  likewise  to  grant  him  several 
honourable  privileges  not  enjoyed  by  his  predecessors.  Sir 
Thomas  published  "  Carmen  Seculare  in  Serenissimum  Ca- 
rolum  I.,  Britanniarum  Monarcham.  Edin.  1 626."  His 
grandson,  Sir  John  Hope,  fixed  his  residence  at  the  castle  of 
Niddry ;  but,  embarking  on  board  the  Gloucester  frigate  with 
the  Duke  of  York,  and  several  persons  of  quality,  was  lost  in 
that  ship,  when  it  was  wrecked  on  the  5th  of  May,  1682.  He 
left  a"  son,  Charles,  who  was  created  a  peer,  April  5th,  1703, 
by  the  titles  of  Earl  of  Hopetoun,  Viscount  Aithrie,  and 
Lord  Hope.  He  greatly  increased  the  family  estate  by  several 
advantageous  purchases  in  various  counties ;  and  the  noble 
seat  of  Hopetoun  House,  which  he  caused  to  be  erected  un- 
der the  direction  of  Sir  William  Bruce,  remains  a  conspicu- 
ous monument  of  the  magnificence  of  his  taste.  His  son, 
John,  second  Earl  of  Hopetoun,  was  thrice  married.  By  his 
first  marriage,  which  was  with  Ann  Ogilvy,  daughter  of  the 
Earl  of  Findlater  and  Seafield,  he  had  several  children,' 
among  whom  was  James,  who  became  the  third  Earl  of 


EARL    OF    HOPETOUN.  301 

Hopetoun.  By  his  second  marriage,  which  was  with  Jane, 
the  daughter  of  Robert  Oliphant  of  Rossie,  in  the  county  of 
Perth,  Esq.,  he  had  also  several  children ;  of  whom  his  second 
child,  and  only  son,  was  John,  the  subject  of  the  present 
memoir. 

The  Honourable  John  Hope  was  born  at  Hopetoun 
House,  in  the  county  of  Linlithgow,  on  the  17th  of  August, 
1766.  He  completed  an  excellent  education,  by  foreign 
travel,  in  which  he  was  attended  by  Dr.  Gillies,  now  His 
Majesty's  Historiographer. 

Mr.  Hope  joined  the  army  as  a  volunteer,  in  his  15th 
year;  and  on  the  28th  of  May,  1784,  entered  it  as  a  cornet 
of  the  10th  Regiment  of  Light  Dragoons.  He  served  with 
great  bravery  and  distinction.  On  the  24th  of  December, 
1785,  he  was  appointed  to  a  lieutenancy  in  the  100th  Foot; 
on  the  26th  of  April,  1786,  to  a  lieutenancy  in  the  27th 
Foot;  on  the  31st  of  October,  1789,  to  a  company  in  the 
17th  Dragoons;  on  the  25th  of  April,  1792,  to  a  majority 
in  the  2d  Foot  (during  the  time  he  held  which  he  served 
in  Gibraltar) ;  on  the  24th  of  April,  1793,  to  a  majority;  and 
on  the  26th  of  April,  1793,  to  a  lieutenant-colonelcy,  in 
the  25th  Foot. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Hope  was  appointed  Adjutant-General 

.to  the  Forces  serving  under  the  late  gallant  Sir  Ralph  Aber- 

cromby  in  the  Leeward  Islands,  in  1794.     He  received  the 

brevet  of  colonel  on  the  3d  of  May,   1796;  but  he. had  the 

rank  of  brigadier-general  in  the  West  Indies ;  where  he  was 

actively  employed  in  the  campaigns  of  1794,  1795,  1796,  and 

1797;  being  particularly  noticed  in  general  orders,   and  in 

.the  public  dispatches  of  the  commander- in-chief ;  especially 

.  as  having  "  on  all  occasions  most  willingly  come  forward  and 

exerted  himself  in  times  of  danger,  to  which  he  was  not  called 

from  his  situation  of  Adjutant-General." 

In   1796,  he  was  elected  M.  P.  for  the  county  of  Lin- 
lithgow. 

In  1797,  he  resigned  his  place  as  Adjutant-General  to  the 
Forces  in  the  West  Indies. 


302  EARL    OF   HOPETOUN. 

On  the  27th  of  August,  1799,  he  received  the  colonelcy  of 
the  North  Lowland  Fencibles. 

Colonel  Hope  accompanied  the  British  troops  into  Hol- 
land, in  August  1799,  as  Deputy  Adjutan t- General ;  having 
been  appointed  to  that  station  on  the  1 3th  of  that  month  ; 
but  he  was  so  severely  wounded  at  the  landing  at  the  Helder 
on  the  27th,  that  he  was  compelled  to  return.  On  his  re- 
covery, he  was,  on  the  19th  of  October,  1799,  appointed 
Adjutant-General  to  the  Army  serving  under  His  Royal 
Highness  the  Duke  of  York;  and  on  the  same  day  the 
Honourable  Lieutenant-Colonel  Alexander  Hope,  his  half- 
brother,  by  his  father's  third  marriage,  was  appointed  to  suc- 
ceed him  in  the  station  of  Deputy  Adjutant-General. 

In  J800,  Colonel  Hope  accompanied  Sir  Ralph  Aber- 
cromby  as  Adjutant- General  on  the  memorable  expedition  to 
Egypt;  and  on  the  13th  of  May,  in  that  year,  was  appointed 
Brigadier-General,  in  the  Mediterranean  only.  He  was  in 
the  actions  of  the  8th 'and  13th  of  March,  1801.  At  the 
battle' of  Alexandria,  March  21.  1801,  he  was  wounded  in  the 
hand ;  and  the  army  was  thus,  for  a  time,  in  the  words  of  its 
gallant  commander,  "  deprived  of  the  services  of  a  most  active, 
zealous,  and  judicious  officer."  He,  however,  proceeded  with 
the  army  to  Cairo,  where,  in  June  1801,  he  settled  with 
General  Belliard,  the  French  commander,  the  convention  for 
the  surrender  of  that  place,  "  after,"  again  to  quote  the  words 
of  the  highest  authority,  "  a  negociation  of  several  days, 
which  was  conducted  by  Brigadier-General  Hope  with  much 
judgment  and  ability." 

On  the  llth  of  May,  1802,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  a  Major-General.  On  the  30th  of  June,  1805,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Deputy-Governor  of  Portsmouth ;  an  office  he  re- 
signed the  same  year,  on  being  nominated  to  a  command  with 
the  troops  sent  to  the  continent  under  Lord  Cathcart.  On 
the  3d  of  October,  1805,  he  was  made  Colonel  of  the  2d  Bat- 
talion of  the  60th  Foot,  and  on  the  3d  of  January,  1806, 
Colonel  of  the  92d  Foot.  On  the  25th  of  April,  1808,  he 
was  made  a  Lieutenant-General. 


EARL    OF    HOPETOUN.  SOS 

In  1808,  Lieutenant- General  Hope  accompanied  the  Bri- 
tish army  to  Spain  and  Portugal.  He  was  second  in  com- 
mand in  the  expedition  to  the  Baltic  under  Sir  John  Moore, 
in  the  month  of  May ;  and  then  accompanied  the  British  forces 
to  Portugal,  where  he  landed  in  August  On  the  24th  of 
December,  he  marched  with  his  division  to  Majorca.  On  the 
30th,  he  marched  within  two  leagues  of  Astaga,  where  he 
halted. 

At  the  battle  of  Corunna,  on  the  16th  of  January  1809,  in 
consequence  of  the  death  of  Sir  John  Moore,  and  the  wounds 
of  Sir  David  Baird,  the  command  devolved  on  Lieutenant- 
General  Hope,  "  to  whose  abilities  and  exertions,"  said  the 
dispatches  from  Sir  David  Baird,  "  in  the  direction  of  the 
ardent  zeal  and  unconquerable  valour  of  his  Majesty's  troops, 
is  to  be  attributed,  under  Providence,  the  success  of  the  day, 
which  terminated  in  the  complete  and  entire  repulse  and  defeat 
of  the  enemy  at  every  point  of  attack." —  The  following  ad- 
mirable report  from  Lieutenant-General  Hope  to  Sir  David 
Baird,  was  transmitted  by  the  latter  in  his  dispatches  to  his 
Majesty's  government : 

61  Sir,  Audacious,  off  Co?*unna,  Jan.  18.  1809* 

66  In  compliance  with  the  desire  contained  in  your  commu- 
nication of  yesterday,  I  avail  myself  of  the  first  moment  I  have 
been  able  to  command,  to  detail  to  you  the  occurrences  of  the 
action,  which  took  place  in  front  of  Corunna,  on  the  16th 
instant.  It  will  be  in  your  recollection,  that  about  one  in  the 
afternoon  of  that  day,  the  enemy,  who  had  in  the  morning  re- 
ceived reinforcements,  and  who  had  placed  some  guns  in  front 
of  the  right  and  left  of  his  line,  was  observed  to  be  moving 
troops  towards  his  left  flank,  and  forming  various  columns  of 
attack,  at  that  extremity  of  the  strong  and  commanding  posi- 
tion, which  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  he  had  taken  in  our 
immediate  front.  This  indication  of  his  intention  was  imme- 
diately succeeded  by  the  rapid  and  determined  attack  which 
he  made  upon  your  division,  which  occupied  the  right  of  our 
position.  The  events  which  occurred  during  that  period  of 


301<  EARL    OF    HOPETOUN. 

the  action,  you  are  fully  acquainted  with.  The  first  effort  of 
the  enemy  was  met  by  the  Commander  of  the  forces,  and  by 
yourself,  at  the  head  of  the  42d  regiment,  and  the  brigade 
under  Major-General  Lord  William  Bentinck.  The  village 
on  your  right  became  an  object  of  obstinate  contest.  I  lament 
to  say,  that  soon  after  the  severe  wound  which  deprived  the 
army. of  your  services,  Lieutenant-General  Sir  John  Moore, 
who  had  just  directed  the  most  able  position,  fell  by  a  cannon 
shot.  The  troops,  though  not  unacquainted  with  the  irrepa- 
rable loss  they  had  sustained,  were  not  dismayed,  but,  by  the 
most  determined  bravery,  not  only  repelled  every  attempt  of 
the  enemy  to  gain  ground,  but  actually  forced  him  to  retire, 
although  he  had  brought  up  fresh  troops  in  support  of  those 
originally  engaged.  The  enemy  finding  himself  foiled  in 
every  attempt  to  force  the  right  of  our  position,  endeavoured 
by  numbers  to  turn  it.  A  judicious  and  well-timed  move- 
ment, which  was  made  by  Major-General  Paget,  with  the 
reserve,  which  corps  had  moved  out  of  its  cantonments  to  sup- 
port the  right  of  the  army,  by  a  vigorous  attack  defeated  their 
intention.  The  Major-General,  having  pushed  forward  the 
95th  rifle  corps,  and  the  first  battalion  of  the  52d  regiment, 
drove  the  enemy  before  him,  and,  in  his  rapid  and  judicious 
advance,  threatened  the  left  of  the  enemy's  position.  This 
circumstance,  with  the  position  of  Lieutenant-General  Eraser's 
division,  (calculated  to  give  still  further  security  to  the  right 
of  the  line,)  induced  the  enemy  to  relax  his  efforts  in  that 
quarter :  they  were,  however,  more  forcibly  directed  towards 
the  centre,  where  they  were  again  successfully  resisted  by  the 
brigade  under  Major-General  Manningham,  forming  the  left 
of  your  division,  and  a  part  of  that  under  Major-General 
Lei th,  forming  the  right  of  the  division  under  my  orders. 
Upon  the  left,  the  enemy  ^at  first  contented  himself  with  an 
attack  upon  our  picquets,  which,  however,  in  general  main- 
tained their  ground.  Finding,  however,  his  efforts  unavailing 
on  the  right  and  centre,  he  seemed  determined  to  render  the 
attack  upon  the  left  more  serious :  and  had  succeeded  in  ob- 
taining possession  of  the  village  through  which  the  great  road 

18 


EARL    OF   HOPETOUN.  305 

to  Madrid  passes,  and  which  was  situated  in  front  of  that  part 
of  the  line.  From  this  post,  however,  he  was  soon  expelled 
with  considerable  loss,  by  a  gallant  attack  of  some  companies 
of  the  2d  battalion  of  the  14-th  regiment,  under  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Nicholls.  Before  five  in  the  evening,  we  had  not 
only  successfully  repelled  every  attack  made  upon  the  posi- 
tion, but  had  gained  ground  in  almost  all  points,  and  occupied 
a  more  forward  line  than  at  the  commencement  of  the  action; 
whilst  the  enemy  confined  his  operations  to  a  cannonade,  and 
the  fire  of  his  light  troops,  with  a  view  to  draw  off  his  other 
corps.  At  six  the  firing  entirely  ceased.  The  different  bri- 
gades were  re-assembled  on  the  ground  they  occupied  in  the 
morning,  and  the  picquets  and  advanced  posts  resumed  their 
original  stations.  Notwithstanding  the  decided  and  marked 
superiority  which  at  this  moment  the  gallantry  of  the  troops 
had  given  them  over  an  enemy,  who,  from  his  numbers  and  the 
commanding  advantages  of  his  position,  no  doubt  expected  an 
easy  victory,  I  did  not,  on  reviewing  all  circumstances,  con- 
ceive that  I  should  be  warranted  in  departing  from  what  I 
knew  was  the  fixed  and  previous  determination  of  the  late 
commander  of  the  forces,  to  withdraw  the  army  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  16th,  for  the  purpose  of  embarkation,  the  previous 
arrangements  for  which  had  already  been  made  by  his  order, 
and  were,  in  fact,  far  advanced  at  the  commencement  of  the 
action.  The  troops  quitted  their  position  about  ten  at 
night,  with  a  degree  of  order  that  did  them  credit.  The 
whole  of  the  artillery  that  remained  unembarked  having 
been  withdrawn,  the  troops  followed  in  the  order  prescribed, 
and  marched  to  their  respective  points  of  embarkation  in  the 
town  and  neighbourhood  of  Corunna.  The  picquets  re- 
mained at  their  posts  until  five  of  the  morning  of  the  1 7th, 
when  they  were  also  withdrawn,  with  similar  order,  and  with- 
out the  enemy  having  discovered  the  movements.  By  the 
unremitted  exertions  of  Captains  the  Honourable  Henry 
Curzon,  Gosselin,  Boys,  Rainier,  Serret,  Hawkins,  Digby, 
Carden,  and  Mackenzie,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  who,  in  pur- 
suance of  the  orders  of  Admiral  de  Courcy,  were  intrusted 

VOL.  VIII.  X 


306  EARL    OF    HOPETOUN. 

with    the  service  of  embarking  the  army,    and  in  consequence 
of  the  arrangements  made  by  Commissioner  Bowen,    Cap- 
tains Bowen  and  Shepherd,  and  the  other  agents  for  trans- 
ports, the  whole  of  the  army  were  embarked,  with  an  expedi- 
tion which  had  seldom  been  equalled.     With  the  exception 
of  the  brigades  under  Major- Generals  Hill  and  Beresford, 
who  were  destined  to  remain  on  shore  until  the  movements  of 
the  enemy  should  become  manifest,   the  whole  was  afloat  be- 
fore daylight.        The  brigade  of  Major-General  Beresford, 
which  was  alternately  to  form  our  rear-guard,  occupied  the 
land   front    of  the  town   of  Corunna ;    that   under  Major- 
General  Hill  was  stationed  in  reserve  oh  the  promontory  in 
rear  of  the  town.    The  enemy  pushed  his  light  troops  towards 
the  town  soon  after  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  1 7th, 
and  shortly  after  occupied  the  heights  of  St.  Lucie,  which 
command  the  harbour.     But,  notwithstanding  this  circum- 
stance, and  the  manifold  defects  of  the  place,  there  being  no 
apprehension  that  the  rear -guard  could  be  forced,  and  the 
disposition  of  the  Spaniards  appearing  to  be  good,  the  em- 
barkation of  Major-General  Hill's  brigade  was  commenced, 
and   completed  by  three  in  the  afternoon.     Major-General 
Beresford,   with  that  zeal  and  ability  which  is  so  well  known 
to  yourself  and  the  whole  army,  having  fully  explained,  to  the 
satisfaction    of  the    Spanish   governor,    the   nature  of  our 
movement,   and  having  made  every  previous  arrangement, 
withdrew  his  corps  from  the  land  front  of  the  town,  soon  after 
dark,  and  was,  with  all  the  wounded  that  had  not  been  pre- 
viously moved,  embarked  before  one  this  morning.     Circum- 
stances forbid  us  to  indulge  the  hope,  that  the  victory  with 
which  it  has  pleased  Providence  to  crown  the  efforts  of  the 
army,  can  be  attended  with  any  very  brilliant  consequences 
to  Great  Britain.     It  is  clouded  with  the  loss  of  one  of  her 
best  soldiers ;  it  has  been  achieved  at  the  termination  of  a 
long  and   harassing  service-       The    superior   numbers   and 
advantageous  position  of  the  enemy,  not  less  than  the  actual 
situation  of  this  army,  did  not  admit  of  any  advantage  being 
reaped  from  success.     It  must  be,  however,  to  you,  to  the 


EARL    OF    HOPETOUN.  SO/ 

army,  and  to  our  country,  the  sweetest  reflection,  that  the 
lustre  of  the  British  arms  has  been  maintained  amongst  many 
disadvantageous  circumstances.  The  army,  which  entered 
Spain  amidst  the  fairest  prospects,  had  no  sooner  completed 
its  junction,  than,  owing  to  the  multiplied  disasters  that  dis- 
persed the  native  armies  around  us,  it  was  left  to  its  own  re- 
sources. The  advance  of  the  British  corps  from  the  Douro 
afforded  the  best  hope  that  the  south  of  Spain  might  be  re- 
lieved ;  but  this  generous  effort  to  save  the  unfortunate  people 
also  afforded  the  enemy  the  opportunity  of  directing  every  effort 
of  his  numerous  troops,  and  concentrating  all  his  principal 
resources,  for  the  destruction  of  the  only  regular  force  in  the 
north  of  Spain.  You  are  well  aware  with  what  diligence 
this  system  has  been  pursued.  These  circumstances  produced 
the  necessity  of  rapid  and  harassing  marches,  which  dimi- 
nished the  numbers,  exhausted  the  strength,  and  impaired  the 
equipment  of  the  army.  Notwithstanding  all  these  disad- 
vantages, and  those  more  immediately  attached  to  a  defensive 
position,  which  the  imperious  necessity  of  covering  the  har- 
bour of  Corunna  for  a  time  had  rendered  indispensable  to 
assume,  the  native  and  undaunted  valour  of  the  British  troops 
was  never  more  conspicuous,  and  must  have  exceeded  what 
even  your  own  experience  of  that  invaluable  quality,  so  in- 
herent in  them,  may  have  taught  you  to  expect.  When  every 
one  that  had  an  opportunity  seemed  to  vie  in  improving  it, 
it  is  difficult  for  me,  in  making  this  report,  to  select  particular 
instances  for  your  approbation.  The  corps  chiefly  engaged 
were,  the  brigades  under  Major-Generals  Lord  William 
Bentinck,  Manningham,  and  Leith,  and  the  brigade  of  guards 
under  Major- General  Warde.  To  these  officers,  and  the  troops 
under  their  immediate  orders,  the  greatest  praise  is  due, 
Major-General  Hill  and  Colonel  Catlin  Crawford,  with  their 
brigades,  on  the  left  of  the  position,  ably  supported  their  ad- 
vanced posts.  The  brunt  of  the  action  fell  upon  the  4th,  42d, 
50th,  and  81st  regiments,  with  parts  of  the  brigade  of  guards, 
and  the  28th  regiment.  Frbm  Lieutenant-Colonel  Murray, 
Quartermaster- General,  and  the  officers  of  the  general  staff, 

x  2 


308  EARL    OF   HOPETOUN. 

I  received  the  most  marked  assistance.  I  had  reason  to 
regret,  that  the  illness  of  Brigadier- General  H.  Clinton,  Ad- 
jutant-General, deprived  me  of  his  aid.  I  was  indebted  to 
Brigadier-General  Slade9  during  the  action,  for  a  zealous 
offer  of  his  personal  services,  although  the  cavalry  were  em- 
barked, The  greater  part  of  the  fleet  having  gone  to  sea 
yesterday  evening,  the  whole  being  under  weigh,  and  the 
corps  in  the  embarkation  necessarily  much  mixed  on  board, 
it  is  impossible  at  present  to  lay  before  you  a  return  of  our 
casualties.  I  hope  the  loss  in  numbers  is  not  so  considerable 
as  might  have  been  expected.  If  I  were  obliged  to  form  an 
estimate,  I  should  say,  that  I  believe  it  did  not  exceed  in 
killed  and  wounded  from  700  to  80Q  ;  that  of  the  enemy  must 
remain  unknown,  but  many  circumstances  induce  me  to  rate 
it  at  nearly  double  the  above  number.  We  have  some  pri- 
soners, but  I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  an  account  of  the 
number :  it  is  not,  however,  considerable.  Several  officers  of 
rank  have  fallen,  or  been  wounded ;  among  which  I  am  only  at 
present  enabled  to  state  the  names  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Napier  of  the  92d  regiment,  Majors  Napier  and  Stanhope 
of  the  50th  regiment,  killed  ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Winch  of 
the  4th  regiment,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Maxwell  of  the  26th 
regiment,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Fane  of  the  59th  regiment, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Griffith  of  the  guards,  Majors  Miller  and 
Williams  of  the  81st  regiment,  wounded. 

"  To  you,  who  are  well  acquainted  with  the  excellent  quali-< 
ties  of  Lieutenant-General  Sir  John  Moore,  I  need  not  ex- 
patiate on  the  loss  the  army  and  his  country  have  sustained 
by  his  death.  His  fall  has  deprived  me  of  a  valuable  friend, 
to  whom  long  experience  of  his  worth  had  sincerely  attached 
me ;  but  it  is  chiefly  on  public  grounds  that  I  must  lament 
the  blow.  It  will  be  the  consolation  of  every  one  who  loved 
and  respected  his  manly  character,  that,  after  conducting  the 
army  through  an  arduous  retreat  with  consummate  firmness, 
he  has  terminated  a  career  of  distinguished  honour,  by  a 
death  that  has  given  the  enemy  additional  reason  to  respect 
the  name  of  a  British  soldier.  Like  the  immortal  Wolfe,  he 


EARL    OF   HOPETOUN.  309 

is  snatched  from  his  country  at  an  early  period  of  a  life  spent 
in  her  service;  like  Wolfe,  his  last  moments  were  gilded  by 
the  prospect  of  success,  and  cheered  by  the  acclamation  of 
victory;  like  Wolfe,  also,  his  memory  will  for  ever  remain 
sacred  in  that  country  which  he  sincerely  loved,  and  which  he 
had  so  faithfully  served.  It  remains  for  me  only  to  express 
my  hope  that  you  will  speedily  be  restored  to  the  service  of 
your  country,  and  to  lament  the  unfortunate  circumstance  that 
removed  you  from  your  station  in  the  field,  and  threw  the 
momentary  command  into  far  less  able  hands. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c. 

(Signed)         "  JOHN  HOPE, 

"  Lieutenant-General. 
"  To  Lieutenant-General  Sir  David  Baird,  &c." 

When  the  British  army  had  embarked,  Lieutenant-General 
Hope  went  into  every  street,  alley,  and  public-house  in 
Corunna,  to  see  that  not  a  single  soldier  should  become 
prisoner  to  the  French,  then  close  to  the  walls.  He  had  no 
companion  but  his  sword ;  and  he  was  the  very  last  man  who 
stepped  on  board  of  ship. 

Never  was  a  more  powerful  sensation  excited  in  the  king- 
dom than  by  the  foregoing  dispatch.  On  the  25th  of  January, 
1809,  the  Earl  of  Liverpool  in  the  House  of  Lords,  and  Lord 
Viscount  Castlereagh  in  the  House  of  Commons,  moved  votes 
of  thanks  to  Lieutenant-General  Hope,  and  the  officers  and 
men  under  his  command,  which  were  agreed  to  unanimously. 
As  a  reward  for  the  Lieutenant- General's  eminent  services, 
his  brother,  on  the  28th  of  January,  was  created  a  baron  of 
the  United  Kingdom,  by  the  title  of  Baron  Hopetoun,  of 
Hopetoun,  in  the  county  of  Linlithgow ;  and  on  the  20th  of 
April,  the  Lieutenant-General  himself  received  the  order  of 
the  Bath,  at  the  Queen's  Palace ;  the  public  uniting  in  the 
sentiment  that  the  distinction  was  never  better  merited  His 
installation  however  did  not  take  place  until  the  first  of  June, 
1812;  when  twenty-two  other  new  knights  were  likewise 
installed. 

x  3 


310  EARL    OF  HOPETOUN. 

Sir  John  Hope's  next  military  services  were  in  the  expedi- 
tion to  the  Scheldt,  known  by  the  name  of  the  Walcheren 
expedition,  in  the  autumn  of  1809.  In  the  statement  of  the 
operations  of  the  forces  employed  on  this  expedition,  presented 
to  His  late  Majesty  at  a  private  audience  by  the  Earl  of 
Chatham,  to  whom  the  command  of  it  was  entrusted,  after 
describing  the  ineffectual  attempts  of  one  division  of  the  army 
which  it  had  been  found  necessary  to  withdraw,  His  Lordship 
proceeds  thus : 

"  With  respect  to  Sir  John  Hope's  operation,  it  was  more 
prosperous.  The  object  of  it  was  this  :  —  in  the  original  ar- 
rangement for  carrying  the  army  at  once  up  the  West  Scheldt, 
Sir  John  Hope's  division  was  included ;  but  just  before  we 
sailed,  the  Admiral  received  intelligence  that  the  French  fleet 
was  come  down  abreast  of  Flushing,  and  seemed  to  threaten 
to  oppose  our  passage  up  the  Scheldt. 

"  In  this  view,  it  was  conceived  that,  by  a  landing  on  the 
north  side  of  south  Reveland,  the  island  might  be  possessed, 
and  all  the  batteries  taken  in  reverse,  and  thereby  the  position 
of  the  French  fleet,  if  they  ventured  to  remain  near  Flushing, 
would  be,  as  it  were,  turned,  and  their  retreat  rendered  more 
difficult,  while  the  attack  on  them  by  our  ships  would  have 
been  much  facilitated ;  and  for  this  object,  the  division  of  Sir 
John  Hope  rather  preceded,  in  sailing  from  the  Downs,  the 
rest  of  the  fleet. 

"  The  navigation  of  the  East  Scheldt  was  found  most 
difficult;  but  by  the  skill  and  perseverance  of  Sir  Richard 
Keats,  this  purpose  was  happily  and  easily  accomplished, 
though  the  troops  were  carried  a  great  way  in  schhuyts  and 
boats ;  and  this  division  was  landed  near  Ter-Goes,  from 
whence  they  swept  all  the  batteries  in  the  island  that  could 
impede  the  progress  of  our  ships  up  the  West  Scheldt,  and 
possessed  themselves,  on  the  second  of  August,  of  the  im- 
portant post  of  Batz,  to  which  it  had  been  promised  that  the 
army  should  at  once  have  been  brought  up. 

"  Sir  John  Hope  remained  in  possession  of  this  post, 
though  not  without  being  twice  attacked  by  the  enemy's 


EARL   OF   HOPETOUN.  311 

fltilla,  for  nine  days  before  any  of  the  gun-boats  under 
Captain  Sir  Home  Popham  were  moved  up  the  Scheldt  to  his 
support." 

One  of  the  attacks  to  which  the  noble  lord  alludes  took 
place  on  the  fifth  of  August,  when  the  enemy  came  down 
with  about  twenty-eight  gun-vessels,  and  kept  up  a  smart 
cannonade  for  some  hours,  but  were  forced  to  retire  by  the 
guns  from  the  fort. 

The  unfortunate  issue  of  this  expedition  is  too  well  known 
to  need  relation  here. 

In  1810,  Sir  John  Hope  was  employed  in  Spain;  and  in 
consequence  of  his  gallantry  and  exertions  in  the  various 
victories  obtained  over  the  enemy  in  that  country,  he  was  one 
of  the  officers  selected*  by  His  Majesty  to  receive  and  wear 
the  medal  issued  on  the  9th  of  September  in  that  year. 

His  next  appointment  was  that  of  commander-in  chief  in 
Ireland,  where  he  remained  a  considerable  time. 

In  1813  he  again  joined  the  Duke  of  Wellington  in  the 
Peninsula,  and  became  second  in  command.  At  the  battle  of 
Nivelle,  on  the  10th  of  November  of  that  year,  Sir  John 
Hope  headed  the  left  wing  of  the  army,  drove  in  the  enemy's 
outposts  in  front  of  their  intrenchments  on  the  Lower  Nivelle, 
carried  the  redoubt  above  Orogne,  and  established  himself  on 
the  heights  immediately  opposite  Sibour,  in  readiness  to  take 
advantage  of  any  movement  made  by  the  enemy's  right.  In  the 
night,  the  enemy  quitted  all  their  works  and  positions  in  front 
of  St.  Jean  de  Luz,  and  retired  upon  Bidart,  destroying  all  the 
bridges  on  the  Lower  Nivelle.  Sir  John  Hope  followed  them 
with  the  left  of  the  army,  as  soon  as  he  could  cross  the  river. 
On  the  night  of  the  llth  the  enemy  again  retired,  into  an  en- 
trenched camp  in  front  of  Bayonne.  On  the  9th  of  December, 
Sir  John  Hope,  with  the  left  of  the  army  under  his  command, 
moved  forward  by  the  great  road  from  St.  Jean  de  Luz  to- 
wards Bayonne,  and  reconnoitred  the  right  of  the  intrenched 
camp  of  the  enemy  under  Bayonne,  and  the  course  of  the 
Adour  below  the  town,  after  driving  in  the  enemy's  posts 
from  the  neighbourhood  of  Biaritz  and  Anglet,  In  the  even- 


EARL  OF  HOPETOUN. 

ing  he  retired  to  the  ground  he  had  before  occupied.  On  the 
10th,  in  the  morning,  the  enemy  moved  out  of  the  intrenched 
camp,  with  nearly  their  whole  army,  drove  in  the  picquets  of 
the  light  division,  and  of  Sir  John  Hope's  corps,  and  made 
a  most  desperate  attack  on  his  advanced  posts,  on  the  high 
road  from  Bayonne  to  St.  Jean  de  Luz,  near  the  mayor's 
house  of  Biaritz.  This  attack  was  repulsed  in  the  most  gal- 
lant style  by  our  troops,  who  took  about  fiye  hundred  pri- 
soners. In  his  dispatches,  dated  December  14th,'  1813,  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  speaking  of  this  brilliant  affair,  says : 

"  I  cannot  sufficiently  applaud  the  ability,  coolness,  and 
judgment  of  Lieutenant-General  Sir  John  Hope,  who,  with 
the  general  and  staff  officers  under  his  command,  showed  the 
troops  an  example  of  gallantry,  which  must  have  tended  to 
produce  the  favourable  result  of  the  day.  Sir  John  Hope  re- 
ceived a  very  severe  contusion,  which,  however,  I  am  happy 
to  say,  has  not  deprived  me  for  a  moment  of  the  benefit  of  his 
assistance," 

During  the  night  of  the  10th  of  December,  the  enemy  re- 
tired from  Sir  John  Hope's  front,  leaving  small  posts,  which 
were  immediately  driven  in.  They  still  occupied,  in  force,  a 
bridge  on  which  the  picquets  of  the  light  division  had  stood ; 
and  it  was  obvious  that  the  whole  of  their  army  was  still  in 
front  of  our  left.  About  three  in  the  afternoon  of  the  llth, 
they  again  drove  in  Sir  John  Hope's  picquets,  and  attacked  his 
posts ;  but  were  again  repulsed  with  considerable  loss.  The 
attack  was  recommenced  on  the  morning  of  the  12th,  with  the 
same  want  of  success;  and  the  enemy  finally  discontinued  their 
desperate  effort  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  and  in  the  night 
retired  entirely  within  their  intrenched  camp. 

On  the  23d  of  February,  1814,  Sir  John  Hope,  in  concert 
with  Rear- Admiral  Penrose,  availed  himself  of  an  opportunity 
which  offered  to  cross  the  Adour  below  Bayonne,  and  to  take 
possession  of  both  banks  of  the  river  at  its  mouth.  The  ves- 
sels destined  to  form  the  bridge  could  not  get  in  till  the  24th$ 
when  the  difficult,  and,  at  that  season  of  the  year,  dangerous 
operation  of  bringing  them  in  was  effected  with  a  degree  of 


EARL  OF  HOPETOUN.  313 

gallantry  and  skill  seldom  equalled.  The  enemy,  conceiving 
that  the  means  of  crossing  the  river  which  Sir  John  Hope 
had  at  his  command,  namely,  rafts  made  of  pontoons,  had  not 
enabled  him  to  cross  a  large  force  in  the  course  of  the  23d, 
attacked  the  corps  which  he  had  sent  over  that  evening.  The 
corps  consisted  of  six  hundred  men  of  the  second  brigade 
of  guards,  under  the  command  of  Major-General  the 
Honourable  Edward  Stopford,  who  repulsed  the  enemy  im- 
mediately. On  the  25th  Sir  John  Hope  invested  the  citadel  of 
Bayonne  ;  and  on  the  27th,  the  bridge  having  been  completed, 
he  thought  it  expedient  to  invest  it  still  more  closely.  He, 
also  attacked  the  village  of  St.  Etienne,  which  he  carried, 
taking  a  gun  and  some  prisoners  from  the  enemy. 

On  the  14?th  of  April,  'and,  which  rendered  the  occurrence 
still  more  mortifying,  after  intelligence  had  reached  the  army 
of  the  downfall  of  Napoleon,  and  the  restoration  of  the  house 
of  Bourbon,  in  a  sortie  made  by  the  French  from  Bayonne, 
Sir  John  Hope,  bringing  up  some  troops  from  the  right  to 
support  the  picquets  of  the  centre,  which  had  been  driven  in, 
came  suddenly  in  the  dark  upon  a  party  of  the  enemy :  he 
was  very  severely  wounded ;  and  his  horse  being  shot  dead, 
fell  upon  him,  so  that  he  could  not  disengage  himself  from 
under  it,  and  he  was  unfortunately  made  prisoner.  His 
wounds  were  in  the  arm  and  the  thigh,  and  crippled  him  for 
a  long  time.  The  Duke  of  Wellington,  in  noticing  this  trans- 
action in  his  dispatches,  expressed  his  regret,  "  that  the  satis- 
faction generally  felt  by  the  army  upon  the  prospect  of  the 
honourable  termination  of  their  labours,  should  be  clouded 
by  the  misfortunes  and  sufferings  of  an  officer  so  highly 
esteemed  and  respected  by  all." 

On  the  3d  of  May,  1814,  Sir  John  Hope  was  created  a 
peer  of  the  United  Kingdom,  by  the  title  of  Baron  Niddry 
of  Niddry,  in  the  county  of  Linlithgow.  In  the  month  of 
June,  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  moved  grants  to  several 
of  the  gallant  Generals  who  had  distinguished  themselves 
during  the  war;  but  Lord  Niddry  declined  accepting  any 
pecuniary  recompence  for  his  services. 


314  EARL  OF  HOPETOUN. 

On  the  2d  of  January,  1815,  Lord  Niddry  was  made  a 
Knight  Grand  Cross  of  the  military  order  of  the  Bath. 
His  half-brother,  James,  third  Earl  of  Hopetoun,  dying  on 
the  29th  of  May,  1816,  Lord  Niddry  succeeded  to  the  family 
titles.  On  the  12th  of  August,  1819,  he  received  the  brevet 
of  General  i 

When  His  Majesty  was  in  Scotland,  the  Earl  of  Hopetoun 
was  one  of  the  few  individuals  who  received  the  distinction  of 
a  royal  visit. 

Unhappily,  His  Lordship  did  not  long  enjoy  Jiis  numerous 
honours,  acquired  and  hereditary.  He  died  at  Paris,  on  the 
27th  of  August,  1823,  aged  57. 

The  remains  of  this  gallant  and  much  lamented  nobleman 
having  been  brought  from  France  in  His  Majesty's  sloop 
Brisk,  were  interred  in  the  family  vault  at  Abercorn,  on 
the  1st  of  October,  as  privately  as  circumstances  would 
permit. 

As  a  soldier,  the  Earl  of  Hopetoun  was  cool,  brave,  and 
determined ;  and  his  conduct  as  a  nobleman,  a  landlord,  and 
a  friend,  was  always  such  as  became  his  high  station.  By 
his  numerous  family  and  relatives  his  loss  is  deeply  lamented ; 
and  indeed  few  men  of  his  rank  have  been  more  sincerely  re- 
gretted by  all  classes  of  the  public. 

The  Earl  of  Hopetoun  was  twice  married.  On  the  1 7th 
of  August,  1798,  he  married,  at  Lea  Castle,  in  the  county  of 
Worcester,  his  cousin  Elizabeth,  youngest  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  Charles  Hope  Weir,  of  Craigie  Hall,  and  Blackwood ; 
but  by  her,  who  died  March  20th,  1801,  he  had  no  issue. 
On  the  9th  of  Feb.  1 803,  at  Ballindean,  he  married  Louisa 
Dorothea,  third  daughter  of  Sir  John  Wedderburn,  of  Bal- 
lindean, in  the  county  of  Perth,  Bart.,  (by  his  second  wife 
Alicia,  daughter  of  Col.  James  Dundas,  of  Dundas,)  by 
whom  he  had  issue  John,  now  Earl  of  Hopetoun,  born  Nov. 
15th,  1803,  eight  other  sons,  and  two  daughters. 


SIo 


No.  XV. 


MATTHEW  BAILLIE,  M.D. 

FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL  SOCIETIES  OF  LONDON  AND  EDINBURGH  ; 
FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL  COLLEGE  OF  PHYSICIANS  IN  LONDON  ; 
HONORARY  FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL  COLLEGE  OF  PHYSICIANS 
IN  EDINBURGH,  &C. 


distinguished  as  a  physician,  and  amiable  as  a  man, 
the  late  Dr.  Baillie  ran  a  career  of  honour  and  profit  which 
falls  to  the  lot  of  few.  Acknowledged  by  the  public,  and  by 
his  brethren,  as  the  undisputed  head  of  the  medical  profession, 
he  has  left  a  blank,  which  we  can  scarcely  hope  soon  to  see 
adequately  filled. 

He  was  born  Oct.  27th,  1761,  in  the  manse  of  Tholy, 
near  Hamilton,  in  Scotland.  His  father  was  the  Rev.  James 
Baillie,  D.D.  (a  supposed  descendant  of  the  family  of  Baillie 
of  Jerviswood,)  some  time  minister  of  the  kirk  of  Shotts,  (one 
of  the  most  barren  and  wild  parts  of  the  low  country  of  Scot- 
land,) and  afterwards  professor  of  divinity  in  the  university 
of  Glasgow.  His  mother  was  Dorothea,  daughter  of  Mr. 
John  Hunter,  of  Kilbride,  in  the  county  of  Lanark,  (a  de- 
scendant of  the  family  of  Hunter  of  Hunterstown,)  and  sister 
of  the  two  celebrated  anatomists  Dr.  William  and  Mr.  John 
Hunter. 

In  the  earlier  part  of  his  life,  Dr.  Baillie  enjoyed  consider- 
able advantages;  indeed  he  was  in  the  whole  of  it  peculiarly 
happy.  Having  received  the  rudiments  of  knowledge  under 
his  father's  immediate  superintendence,  in  1773,  when  in  his 
13th  year,  he  began  his  college-education  at  the  university  of 
Glasgow,  where  he  distinguished  himself.  In  1779,  having 
been  appointed  to  an  exhibition,  he  went  to  Baliol  College, 
Oxford,  on  the  same  foundation  on  which  Adam  Smith  and 


316  DR.  BAILLIE. 

other  eminent  countrymen  of  his  had  gone  before  him  ;  and, 
when  of  the  usual  standing,  he  took  his  degrees  in  arts  and 
in  physic;  that  of  M.D.  in  1789. 

In  1780,  (of  course  keeping  his  terms  at  Oxford,)  Dr. 
Baillie  went  to  London,  and  commenced  his  medical  studies, 
by  attending  the  anatomical  lectures  of  his  maternal  uncle, 
Dr.  William  Hunter ;  and  soon  after,  those  of  his  other  ma- 
ternal uncle,  Mr.  John  Hunter.  He  had  the  great  advantage 
of  residing  with  Dr.  William  Hunter,  and,  when  he  became 
sufficiently  advanced  in  his  studies,  of  being  employed  to 
make  the  necessary  preparation  for  the  lectures,  to  conduct 
the  demonstrations,  and  to  superintend  the  operations  of  the 
students.  Previous  to  Dr.  Hunter's  death,  which  took  place 
in  March,  1783,  his  nephew  had  become  the  chief  teacher  of 
practical  anatomy ;  and  after  that  event,  he  became  his  suc- 
cessor in  the  lectures,  having  for  an  associate  Mr.  Cruick- 
shank,  who,  during  Dr.  Hunter's  life,  had  given  a  part  of  the 
lectures.  Dr.  Baillie  began  to  lecture  in  1784-5,  and  soon 
acquired  the  highest  reputation  as  an  anatomist  and  a  teacher 
of  anatomy ;  to  which  character  his  arduous  labours  in  the 
formation  of  his  collection  of  anatomical  preparations,  con- 
sisting of  nearly  eleven  hundred  articles,  greatly  contributed. 
He  possessed  the  valuable  talent  of  making  an  abstruse  and 
difficult  subject  plain  :  his  prelections  were  remarkable  for 
that  lucid  order  and  clearness  of  expression  which  proceed 
from  a  perfect  conception  of  the  subject ;  and  he  never  per- 
mitted any  variety  of  display  to  turn  him  from  his  great 
object,  of  conveying  information  in  the  simplest  and  most  in- 
telligible way,  and  so  as  to  be  most  useful  to  the  pupils.  He 
had  no  deske  to  get  rid  of  national  peculiarities  of  language ; 
or,  if  he  had,  he  did  not  perfectly  succeed.  Not  only  did  the 
language  of  his  own  land  linger  on  his  tongue,  but  its  re- 
collections clung  to  his  heart;  and  to  the  last,  amidst  the 
splendour  of  his  professional  life,  and  the  seductions  of  a  court, 
he  took  a  hearty  and  an  honourable  interest  in  the  happiness 
and  the  eminence  of  his  original  country.  But  there  was  a 
native  sense  and  strength  of  mind  which  distinguished  him, 


DR.  BAILLIE. 

and  rnucli  more  than  compensated  for  the  want  of  the  polish 
and  purity  of  English  pronunciation.  When  the  increase  of 
bis  practice  as  a  physician  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  de- 
cline lecturing,  which  it  did  in  1799,  the  students  in  Wind- 
mill Street  showed  their  sense  of  his  merits,  and  of  their 
obligations  to  him,  by  presenting  him  with  a  very  handsome 
and  valuable  piece  of  plate,  having  a  Latin  inscription  ex- 
pressive of  their  gratitude. 

In  the  year  1787,  Dr.  Baillie  was  elected  physician  to 
St.  George's  Hospital,  which  office  he  held  for  thirteen  years. 
In  the  year  1789,  he  was  admitted  a  candidate  at  the  college 
of  physicians,  and  in  the  following  year  had  the  full  privileges 
of  a  fellowship  conferred  upon  him.  He  served  the  office  of 
censor  in  1792  and  1797^  and  that  of  commissioner,  under 
the  act  of  parliament  for  the  inspection  and  licensing  of  mad- 
houses, in  1794  and  1795. 

Dr.  Baillie  owed  his  introduction  to  practice  to  the  reputa- 
tion for  talents  and  learning  which  he  had  acquired  by  his 
lectures,  and  to  the  recommendation  of  professional  men,  ever 
the  best  judges  of  professional  merit.  Such  an  introduction 
must  always  insure  an  eventual  and  stable,  although  it  may 
not  produce  a  rapid  or  brilliant  success.  Among  the  eminent 
medical  characters  of  that  day  who  were  particularly  attached 
to  Dr.  Baillie,  was  the  late  Dr.  David  Pitcairn,  a  man  of 
elegant  literary  accomplishments,  united  with  great  profes- 
sional knowledge.  Notwithstanding  the  disparity  of  their 
years,  there  existed  between  Dr.  Pitcairn  and  Dr.  Baillie  a 
long  and  uninterrupted  intimacy  ;  and  the  confidence  reposed 
by  Dr.  Pitcairn  in  the  abilities  of  his  friend  was  evinced  by 
his  consulting  no  other  medical  adviser,  except,  we  believe, 
in  his  last  illness,  when  Dr.  Wells  attended  with  Dr.  Baillie. 
It  was  on  the  secession  from  practice  of  Dr.  Pitcairn,  who 
was  compelled  by  illness,  in  the  year  1 798,  to  seek  the  milder 
climate  of  Lisbon,  that  Dr.  Baillie  began  to  find  the  demands 
for  his  professional  aid  gradually  multiply  upon  him,  until 
at  length  he  was  almost  overwhelmed  with  practice,  among  all 
the  first  persons  of  rank  and  fortune  in  the  kingdom, 


318  DR.  BAILLIE. 

Having  been  called  in  to  the  late  Duke  of  Gloucester, 
(whose  malady  however  proved  a  hopeless  case,)  he  gave  such 
satisfaction  to  the  royal  family,  that,  on  the  subsequent  illness 
of  His  late  Majesty,  he  was  commanded  to  join  in  consultation 
with  the  court-physicians  ;  and  he  thenceforward  continued  a 
principal  director  of  the  royal  treatment.  For  a  while  he 
was,  in  consequence,  placed  in  circumstances  which  might 
have  shaken  men  of  less  firm  and  independent  minds.  But, 
amidst  the  hope  and  fear  which  for  so  long  a  time  agitated 
the  nation  on  the  subject  of  the  King's  health,  the  opinion  of 
Dr.  Baillie  always  regulated  that  of  the  public,  who  were 
perfectly  convinced  that  no  consideration  could  ever  bend  the 
stubbornness  of  his  integrity.  On  the  first  vacancy,  which 
was  in  1810,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  physicians  to  His 
late  Majesty,  and  received  the  offer  of  a  baronetage,  which 
his  good  sense  and  unassuming  disposition  induced  him  to 
decline. 

If  the  income  which  Dr*  Baillie  derived  from  his  practice* 
when  it  was  at  its  height,  was  not  the  largest,  it  was  certainly 
the  second  in  amount,  and  much  exceeded  that  of  any 
physician  in  London  who  preceded  him.  In  one  of  his  most 
busy  years,  when  he  had  scarcely  time  to  take  a  single  regular 
meal,  it  is  said  to  have  reached  to  10,OQO£.  But  whatever 
might  have  been  his  professional  emoluments,  there  cannot 
be  any  doubt  that  there  was  no  physician  of  his  time  who 
enjoyed  an  equal  reputation  with  his  brethren  for  professional 
skill  and  knowledge,  of  which  the  admitted  greater  extent  of 
his  consultation-business  may  be  regarded  as  a  proof.  No 
contemporary  physician  was  supposed  to  possess,  or  in  fact 
did  possess,  equal  anatomical  knowledge;  and  particularly 
equal  knowledge  of  that  part  of  anatomy  which  throws  light 
upon  the  nature  of  disease.|  His  opinion  was  frequently  wished 
for  by  other  physicians  for  their  own  instruction,  as  well  as 
for  the  satisfaction  and  benefit  of  the  patient. 

Dr.  Baillie  was  remarkable  for  forming  his  judgment  of 
any  case  before  him  from  his  own  observation  exclusively; 
carefully  guarding  himself  against  any  prepossession  from  the 


DR.  BA1LLIE. 

opinions  suggested  by  others.  When  he  visited  a  patient,  he 
observed  him  accurately,  he  listened  to  him  attentively,  he  put 
a  few  pointed  questions  —  and  his  judgment  was  formed  ;  and 
this  less  from  prominent  symptoms,  and  more  from  a  compre- 
hensive view  of  the  case,  than  is  common  when  the  judgment 
is  formed  quickly. 

He  was  extremely  happy  in  the  way  in  which  he  commu- 
nicated his  opinion  to  his  patient.  He  avoided  technical  and 
learned  phrases  ;  he  affected  no  sentimental  tenderness,  which 
is  sometimes  assumed  by  a  physician  with  a  view  to  recom- 
mend himself  to  his  patient ;  but  he  expressed  what  he  had 
to  say  in  the  simplest  and  plainest  terms;  with  some  pleasantry, 
if  the  occasion  admitted  of  it,  and  with  gravity  and  gentleness, 
if  they  were  required  ;  and  he  left  his  patient,  either  encour- 
aged or  tranquillized :  persuaded  that  the  opinion  he  had  re- 
ceived was  sound  and  honest,  whether  it  was  favourable  or 
not;  and  that  his  physician  merited  his  confidence.  Few 
physicians  ever  conciliated  their  patients  so  much  with  so  little 
direct  endeavour  to  conciliate ;  and  it  may  truly  be  said,  that 
his  patients  were  pleased  with  him  only,  or  chiefly,  because 
they  believed  him  to  be  able,  attentive,  sincere,  and  frank. 

In  consultation  he  gave  his  opinion  concisely,  and  with  few 
grounds ;  and  those,  facts,  rather  than  arguments,  so  that 
little  room  was  left  for  dispute.  If  any  difference  or  difficulty 
arose,  his  example  pointed  out  the  way  of  removing  it,  by  an 
appeal  to  other  facts,  and  by  the  neglect  of  speculative  rea- 
soning 

Dr.  Baillie's  writings  were  confined  to  his  profession,  but 
they  were  numerous,  and  valuable.  "  The  Morbid  Anatomy 
of  some  of  the  most  important  Parts  of  the  Human  Body"  is 
the  work  upon  which  his  fame  as  an  author  principally  rests ; 
And  which  not  only  has  made  him  known  in  every  part  of  Eu- 
rope, and  wherever  medical  science  is  cultivated,  but  will  secure 
him  a  name  in  succeeding  times.  Like  every  thing  that  he  did, 
it  was  modest  and  unpretending.  A  perfect  knowledge  of  his 
subject,  acquired  in  the  midst  of  the  fullest  opportunities,  ena- 


320  DR.    BAILLIE, 

bled  him  to  compress  into  a  small  volume  more  useful  inform- 
ation than  exists  in  the  combined  works  of  Bonetus,  Mor- 
gagni,  and  Lieutaud.  Its  publication,  which  was  in  1795, 
formed  an  era  in  the  history  of  medicine  in  this  country. 
Perhaps  no  production  of  late  years  ever  had  so  much  influence 
on  the  study  of  that  art,  or  contributed  so  much  to  correct 
unfounded  speculations  upon  the  nature  of  disease,  to  excite  a 
spirit  of  observation,  and  to  lead  the  attention  of  the  student 
to  fact  and  experience.  But  the  preface  to  the  first  edition  of 
the  work,  which  we  subjoin,  will  convey  a  satisfactory  idea  of 
its  nature,  intention,  and  merits. 

<e  Some  diseases  consist  only  in  morbid  actions,  but  do  not 
produce  any  change  in  the  structure  of  parts  ;  these  do  not 
admit  of  anatomical  inquiry  after  death.  There  are  other 
diseases,  however,  where  alterations  in  the  structure  take  place, 
and  these  become  the  proper  subjects  of  anatomical  exam- 
ination. 

"  The  object  of  this  'work  is  to  explain,  more  minutely  than 
has  hitherto  been  done,  the  changes  of  structure  arising  from 
morbid  actions  in  some  of  the  most  important  parts  of  the 
human  body. 

"  This,  I  hope,  will  be  attended  with  some  advantages  to  the 
general  science  of  medicine,  and  ultimately  to  its  practice.  It  is 
very  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  knowledge  of  morbid  struc- 
ture does  not  lead  with  certainty  to  the  knowledge  of  morbid  ac- 
tions, although  the  one  is  the  effect  of  the  other ;  yet  surely  it 
lays  the  most  solid  foundation  for  prosecuting  such  inquiries 
with  success.  In  proportion,  therefore,  as  we  shall  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  changes  produced  in  the  structure  of  parts  from 
diseased  actions,  we  shall  be  more  likely  to  make  some  pro- 
gress towards  a  knowledge  of  the  actions  themselves,  although 
it  must  be  very  slowly.  The  subject  in  itself  is  extremely 
difficult,  because  morbid  actions  are  going  on  in  the  minute 
parts  of  an  animal  body  excluded  from  observation ;  but  still 
the  examination  of  morbid  structure  seems  to  be  one  of  the 
most  probable  means  of  throwing  light  upon  it. 


DR.  BAILLIE.  321 

"  A  second  advantage  arising  from  the  more  attentive  ex- 
amination of  morbid  structure  is,  that  we  shall  be  able  to 
distinguish  between  changes  which  may  have  some  consider- 
able resemblance  to  each  other,  and  which  have  been  gener- 
ally confounded.  This  will  ultimately  lead  to  a  more  attentive 
observation  of  symptoms,  while  morbid  actions  are  taking 
place,  and  be  the  means  of  distinguishing  diseases  with  greater 
accuracy.  When  this  has  been  done,  it  will  be  likely  to  pro* 
duce  a  successful  enquiry  after  the  most  proper  method  of 
treatment. 

"  Another  advantage  arising  from  a  more  attentive  observ- 
ation of  morbid  structure  is,  that  we  shall  be  better  fitted  to 
detect  diseased  alterations  in  the  organization  of  parts  which 
are  but  little,  or  not  at  a*ll  known.  This  will  lay  the  found- 
ation of  our  enquiry  into  the  diseases  themselves  ;  so  that  we 
shall  add  to  our  knowledge  of  the  pathology  of  the  body,  and 
perhaps  also  to  our  knowledge  of  remedies. 

"  A  fourth  advantage,  still,  from  observing  attentively 
morbid  structure,  is,  that  theories  taken  up  hastily  about  dis- 
eases will  be  occasionally  corrected.  The  human  mind  is 
prone  to  form  opinions  upon  every  subject  which  is  presented 
to  it,  but  from  a  natural  indolence  is  frequently  averse  to  en- 
quire into  the  circumstances  which  can  alone  form  a  sufficient 
ground  for  them.  This  is  the  most  general  cause  of  false 
opinions,  which  have  not  only  pervaded  medicine,  but  every 
other  branch  of  knowledge.  When,  however,  the  mind  shall 
be  obliged  to  observe  facts  which  cannot  be  reconciled  with 
such  opinions,  it  will  be  evident  that  the  opinions  are  ill 
founded,  and  they  will  be  laid  aside.  We  grant  it  does  not 
always  happen  that  men  are  induced  to  give  up  their  opinions, 
or  even  to  think  them  wrong,  upon  observing  facts  which  do 
not  agree  with  them  ;  but  surely  it  is  the  best  means  of  pro- 
ducing this  effect;  and  whatever  change  may  be  wrought  on 
the  individuals  themselves,  the  world  will  be  convinced,  who 
have  fewer  prejudices  to  combat. 

"  A  person  who  previously  had  attended  very  accurately 
to  symptoms,  but  was  unacquainted  with  the  disease,  when  he 

voi,,  vni.  Y 


DR.  BAILLIE. 

comes  to  examine  the  body  after  death,  and  finds  some  of  the 
appearances  that  are  described  in  this  treatise,  will  acquire  a 
knowledge  of  the  whole  disease.  He  will  be  able  to  guide  him- 
self on  such  knowledge  in  similar  cases,  and  also  to  inform 
others.  It  may,  perhaps,  too,  le^d  him  to  a  proper  method  of 
treatment. 

"  When  a  person  has  become  well  acquainted  with  diseased 
appearances,  he  will  be  better  able  to  make  his  remarks,  in 
examining  dead  bodies,  so  as  to  judge  more  accurately  how 
far  the  symptoms  and  the  appearances  agree  with  each  other; 
he  will  be  able  also  to  give  a  more  distinct  account  of  what  he 
has  observed,  so  that  his  data  will  become  a  more  accurate 
ground  of  reasoning  for  others. 

"  The  natural  structure  of  the  different  parts  of  the  human 
body  has  been  very  minutely  examined,  so  that  anatomy  may 
be  said  to  have  arrived  at  a  high  pitch  of  perfection  ;  but  our 
knowledge  of  the  changes  of  structure,  produced  by  disease, 
which  may  be  called  the  Morbid  Anatomy,  is  still  very  im- 
perfect. Such  changes  have  commonly  been  observed  only  in 
their  more  obvious  appearances,  and  very  seldom  with  much 
minuteness  or  accuracy  of  discrimination. 

"  Any  works  explaining  morbid  structure,  which  I  have 
seen,  are  very  different  in  their  plan  from  the  present :  they 
either  consist  of  cases  containing  an  account  of  diseases  and 
dissections  collected  together  in  periodical  publications, 
without  any  natural  connection  among  each  other,  or  consist 
of  very  large  collections  of  cases,  arranged  according  to  some 
order.  In  some  of  these  periodical  works,  the  diseased 
structure  has  been  frequently  explained  with  a  sufficient  de- 
gree of  accuracy,  but  in  all  the  larger  works  it  has  often  been 
described  too  generally.  The  descriptions,  too,  of  the  principal 
diseased  appearances,  have  been  sometimes  obscured  by 
taking  notice  of  smaller  collateral  circumstances,  which  had 
no  connection  with  them,  or  the  diseases  from  whence  they 
arose.  Both  of  these  faults  too  frequently  occur  even  in  the 
stupendous  work  of  Morgagni,  '  De  Causis  et  Sedibus  Mor- 
borum ;'  upon  which,  when  considered  in  all  its  parts,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  bestow  too  high  praise :  besides,  the  bulk 


DR.  BAILLIE.  3%3 

of  these  very  large  collections  prevents  them  from  being 
generally  in  the  possession  of  practitioners,  and  also  renders 
them  more  difficult  to  consult. 

"  In  the  present  work  we  propose  not  to  give  cases ;  but 
simply  an  account  of  the  morbid  changes  of  structure  which 
take  place  in  the  thoracic  and  abdominal  viscera,  in  the 
organs  of  generation  in  both  sexes,  and  in  the  brain.  This 
will  be  done  according  to  a  local  arrangement,  very  much 
in  the  same  manner  as  if  we  were  describing  natural  structure, 
and  will  be  accompanied  with  observations  upon  morbid 
actions  which  may  occasionally  arise.  My  situation  has  given 
me  more  than  the  ordinary  opportunities  of  examining  morbid 
structure.  Dr.  Hunter's  collection  contains  a  very  large 
number  of  preparations  exhibiting  morbid  appearances,  which 
I  can  have  recourse  to  at  any  time  for  examination.  Being 
physician  to  a  large  hospital,  and  engaged  in  teaching 
anatomy,  I  have  also  very  frequent  opportunities  of  examin- 
ing diseases  in  dead  bodies.  What  this  work  will  contain 
will  be  principally  an  account  of  the  morbid  appearances 
which  I  have  seen  myself;  but  I  shall  also  take  advantage  of 
what  has  been  observed  by  others.  It  is  intended  to  compre- 
hend an  account  of  the  most  common,  as  well  as  many  of  the 
very  rare  appearances  of  disease,  in  the  vital  and  more  im- 
portant parts  of  the  human  body.  From  the  nature  of  this 
undertaking  it  is  evident,  that  it  must  be  progressive :  some 
appearances  of  disease  will  be  observed  in  future,  with  which 
we  are  at  present  totally  unacquainted,  and  others  which  we 
know  very  little  of  now,  will  afterwards  be  known  perfectly, 

"  Although  I  have  ventured  to  lay  this  work  before  the 
public,  yet  I  am  very  sensible  of  its  imperfections.  There 
are  some  appearances  described  which  I  have  only  had  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  once,  and  which,  therefore,  may  be 
supposed  to  be  described  less  fully  and  exactly  than  if  I  had 
been  able  to  make  repeated  examinations.  There  are  others 
which  I  have  seen  long  before  I  had  formed  any  idea  of  this 
undertaking,  and  which  I  may  be  supposed  to  have  observed 
less  accurately  than  if  I  had  had  a  particular  object  in  view, 

Y  2 


DR,  BAILLIE. 

There  are  others  still,  which  I  have  only  had  an  opportunity 
of  examining  in  preparations ;  in  some  of  these,  certain  ap- 
pearances may  be  supposed  to  be  lost,  which  might  have  been 
observed  had  they  been  examined  recently  after  death.  All 
of  these  are  sources  of  inaccuracy,  which  may  be  said  in  some 
degree  to  be  unavoidable.  I  have  endeavoured,  however,  to  be 
accurate;  and  if  the  public  should  approve  of  my  plan,  I  shall 
be  very  careful,  by  the  addition  of  new  materials,  and  by  re- 
peated observations,  to  render  this  publication  more  perfect." 

The  work  consisted  at  first  of  a  plain  statement  of  facts,  — 
the  description  of  the  appearances  presented  on  dissection,  or 
which  could  be  preserved  and  exhibited.  In  the  second  edition, 
Dr.  Baillie  added,  what  was  an  attempt  of  greater  difficulty, 
which  will  require  the  experience  of  successive  lives  to  perfect ; 
namely,  the  narration  of  symptoms  corresponding  with  the 
morbid  appearances.  On  the  publication  of  this  second 
edition,  thus  improved,  Dr.  Baillie  annexed  to  his  former 
preface  the  following  remarks  :  — 

"  A  second  edition  of  this  little  work  is  now  offered  to  the 
public.  It  is  considerably  enlarged,  and  I  hope  more  correct 
than  the  former.  The  additions  are  principally  derived  from 
what  I  have  remarked  myself;  but  they  are  also  taken  from 
the  observations  of  others,  and  more  especially  from  those  of 
Dr.  Soemmerring,  professor  of  medicine  in  the  University 
of  Mayence,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  anatomists  in 
Germany.  He  was  pleased  to  think  so  favourably  of  our 
attempt  to  improve  the  knowledge  of  diseased  appearances  in 
the  human  body,  as  to  translate  the  first  edition  of  the  Morbid 
Anatomy  into  the  German  language,  and  to  add  to  it  many 
new  cases,  and  copious  notes.  Jt  has  given  me  the  most 
sincere  satisfaction,  to  find  that  our  observations  and  opinions 
coincide  so  much  with  those  of  each  other.  Had  the  plan  of 
my  work  been  different,  I  might  have  derived  much  more 
assistance  from  the  valuable  labours  of  Professor  Soemmer- 
ring ;  but  many  of  the  additions  which  he  has  made  do  not 
strictly  fall  within  it, 


DR.  BAILLIE. 

w  To  the  morbid  appearances,  I  have  attempted  to  subjoin 
the  symptoms  connected  with  them.  This  part  of  the  under- 
taking is  attended  with  many  difficulties ;  and  I  feel  very  sen- 
sibly how  much  the  execution  of  it  stands  in  need  of  the 
kind  indulgence  of  the  public.  If  this  work  shall  ever  come 
to  another  edition,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  render  the  account  of 
symptoms  less  imperfect.  The  difficulties  which  attend  an 
attempt  to  ascertain  the  symptoms  of  diseases,  are  derived 
from  various  sources.  The  same  symptoms  are  not  uniformly 
connected  with  the  same  morbid  changes  of  structure  in  the 
body.  In  many  cases,  too,  the  symptoms  are  nearly  the 
same,  where  the  morbid  changes  of  structure  are  very  different. 
This  is  particularly  exemplified  in  diseases  of  the  brain,  and 
of  the  heart.  Patients  often  explain  very  imperfectly  their 
feelings,  partly  from  the  natural  deficiency  of  language,  and 
partly  from  being  misled  by  preconceived  opinions  about  the 
nature  of  their  complaints*  Medical  men,  also,  in  examining 
into  the  symptoms  of  diseases,  sometimes  put  their  questions 
inaccurately,  and  not  unfrequently  mislead  patients  into  a 
false  description,  from  some  opinion  about  the  disease  which 
they  have  too  hastily  adopted.  All  of  these  are  formidable 
difficulties,  which  obstruct  the  progress  of  our  knowledge  of 
the  symptoms  of  diseases ;  but  the  accumulated  observations 
of  many  individuals  will  probably,  at  length,  in  a  great 
measure  overcome  them. 

"  In  describing  the  symptoms  of  diseases,  I  have  not  en- 
tered into  a  minute  detail.  This  belongs  properly  to  the 
plan  of  a  writer,  who  proposes  to  take  a  full  view  of  any  par- 
ticular disease.  I  have  mentioned  those  symptoms  only 
which  are  most  constant,  and  .most  strongly  characteristic  of 
the  diseases  to  which  they  belong.  Many  diseased  appear- 
ances are  described  in  this  work,  to  which  there  are  added  no 
corresponding  symptoms;  and  this  depends  upon  different 
causes.  The  first  is,  that  there  are  many  morbid  changes  of 
structure  in  the  body,  the  corresponding  symptoms  of  which 
are  not  ascertained.  The  second  is,  that  many  morbid 
changes  of  structure  are  produced  by  causes  which  disturb 

Y  3 


326  DR.  BAILLIE. 

the  constitution  so  little,  as  to  be  attended  with  symptoms  too 
slightly  marked  for  observation.  The  third  and  last  is,  that 
the  symptoms  belonging  to  some  diseased  appearances  fall 
so  immediately  under  the  cognizance  of  the  eye,  or  of  the 
touch,  as  to  be  included  in  a  description  of  the  diseased  ap- 
pearances themselves,  and  to  render  any  further  account  of 
them  superfluous. 

"  The  account  of  symptoms  is  placed  at  the  end  of  each 
chapter,  after  the  description  of  the  diseased  appearances, 
that  the  anatomical  part  of  the  work  may  not  be  interrupted. 
In  a  very  few  instances,  however,  the  account  of  the  symptoms 
has  not  been  separated  from  the  anatomical  description  of  the 
morbid  appearances,  where  so  little  of  the  symptoms  was 
known,  as  hardly  to  admit  of  a  distinct  account  being  given 
of  them. 

66  Besides  an  account  of  morbid  appearances,  a  few  cases 
of  mal-formation  are  blended  in  this  work.  They  do  not 
strictly  fall  within  its  plan ;  I  have,  therefore,  added  only  a 
few,  which  are  important,  and  which  have  almost  all  occurred 
to  my  own  observation." 

Dr.  Baillie' s  next  work  was  "  A  Series  of  Engravings,  to 
illustrate  some  Parts  of  Morbid  Anatomy."  These  splendid 
engravings,  which  were  executed  from  admirable  drawings 
made  by  Mr.  Clift,  the  Conservator  of  the  Hunterian  Museum 
in  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  and  which  were  creditable  at  once  to 
Dr.  Baillie's  own  taste  and  liberality,  and  to  the  state  of  the 
arts  in  this  country,  were  published  in  fasciculi,  which  ap- 
peared at  intervals.  The  publication  of  them  began  in  1799, 
and  was  completed  in  1802.  Dr.  Baillie  thus  laid  a  solid 
foundation  for  pathology,  and  did  for  his  profession  what  no 
physician  had  done  before  his  time.  Much,  no  doubt,  remains 
unperformed,  but  nothing  that  he  has  done  will  require  to  be 
undone  by  his  successors. 

Besides  these  great  works,  Dr.  Baillie  published  "  An 
Anatomical  Description  of  the  Gravid  Uterus."  He  also  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  Transactions  and  medical  collections  of 
his  time. 


DR.  BAILLIE.  327 

In  the  Philosophical  Transactions  for  the  years  1788  and 
1789,  there  are  two  papers  written  by  him,  with  the  following 
titles  : — 1.  "  An  Account  of  a  remarkable  Transposition  of 
the  Viscera."  —  2.  "  An  Account  of  a  particular  Change  of 
Structure  in  the  Human  Ovesium." 

Soon  after  these  papers  were  read  before  the  Royal  So- 
ciety, Dr.  Baillie  was  elected  a  fellow. 

In  the  Transactions  of  the  Society  for  the  Improvement  of 
Medical  and  Chirurgical  Knowledge,  there  are  papers  writ- 
ten by  Dr.  Baillie  with  the  following  titles:  —  1.  "  On  the 
Want  of  a  Pericardium  in  the  Human  Body."  —  2.  "  Of 
Uncommon  Appearances  of  Disease  in  the  Blood  Vessels." — 
3.  "  Of  a  remarkable  Deviation  from  the  Natural  Structure 
of  the  Urinary  Bladder  f«nd  Organs  of  Generation  of  a  Male." 
—  4.  "  Case  of  Emphysema  not  proceeding  from  local  In- 
jury." —  5.  «  An  Account  of  a  Case  of  Diabetes,  with  an 
Examination  of  the  Appearances  after  Death."  —  6.  "An 
Account  of  a  singular  Disease  in  the  Great  Intestines."  — 
7.  "  An  Account  of  the  Case  of  a  Man  who  had  no  Evacu- 
ation from  the  Bowels  for  nearly  fifteen  Weeks  before  his 
Death."  — 8.  "On  the  Embalming  of  Dead  Bodies."  — 
9.  "  An  Account  of  several  Persons,  in  the  same  Family, 
being  twice  affected  with  Measles."  —  10.  "  Additional  In- 
stances of  Measles  occurring  twice  in  the  same  Person."  — 
11.  "  Three  Cases  of  Inflammation  of  the  Inner  Membrane 
of  the  Larynx  and  Trachea,  terminating  quickly  in  Death." 

In  the  Medical  Transactions,  published  by  the  Royal  Col- 
lege of  Physicians,  there  are  papers  written  by  him  with  the 
following  titles :  —  1.  "  The  Case  of  a  Boy,  seven  Years  of 
Age,  who  had  Hydrocephalus,  in  whom  the  Bones  of  the 
Skull,  once  firmly  united,  were,  in  the  progress  of  the  Disease, 
separated  to  a  considerable  Distance  from  each  other."  — 
2.  "  Of  some  uncommon  Symptoms  which  occurred  in  a  Case 
of  Hydrocephalus  Internus."  —  3.  "  Upon  a  strong  Pulsation 
of  the  Aorta  in  the  Epigastric  Region."  —  4.  "  Upon  a  Case 
of  Stricture  of  the  Rectum,  produced  by  a  Spasmodic  Con- 
traction of  the  Internal  and  External  Sphincter  of  the  Anus." 

Y  4 


328  DR.  BAILLIE, 

— -  5.  "  Some  Observations  respecting  Green  Jaundice."  — 
6.  "  Some  Observations  on  a  particular  Species  of  Purging." 
• —  7.  "  Some  Observations  upon  Paraplegia  in  Adults." 

Dr.  Baillie  not  only  advanced  the  interests  and  dignity  of 
the  medical  art,  by  the  skilful  and  honourable  manner  in 
which  he  practised  it,  and  by  the  light  which  he  threw  upon 
it  by  his  writings,  but  also  by  the  encouragement  he  afforded 
to  those  institutions  which  are  calculated  to  improve  it.  He 
was  an  active  member  of  several  medical  societies,  and  a 
governor  of  many  medical  charities;  and  it  is  generally  be- 
lieved, that  he  never  withheld  his  patronage  from  any  useful 
medical  institution  for  which  it  was  solicited. 

A  striking  instance  of  the  zeal  which  Dr.  Baillie  felt  for 
the  promotion  of  medical  knowledge,  was  afforded  by  the 
present  whichy  in  December,  1818,  he  made  to  the  Royal 
College  of  Physicians  of  his  extensive  and  valuable  collection 
of  anatomical  preparations,  together  with  the  sum  of  300/., 
which  he  afterwards  increased  to  600/.,  for  the  purpose  of 
keeping  them  in  order.  It  is  remarkable  that  three  in- 
dividuals so  closely  connected  —  Dr.  Hunter ;  his  brother, 
Mr.  John  Hunter ;  and  their  nephew,  Dr.  Baillie  —  should 
each  have  left  to  his  country  a  noble  memorial  of  his  science 
and  patriotism.  In  the  College  of  Glasgow  may  be  seen  the 
magnificent  museum  of  Dr.  Hunter :  the  College  of  Surgeons 
possesses  the  collection  made  by  Mr.  Hunter,  which  is  more 
like  the  result  of  the  labours  of  many  individuals,  successively 
enjoying  royal  patronage  or  national  support,  than  that  of 
he  unaided  efforts  of  a  private  surgeon ;  and,  lastly,  Dr. 
Baillie  gave  to  the  College  of  Physicians  at  least  a  found- 
ation for  a  museum  of  morbid  anatomy.  If  the  present 
should  have  the  effect,  which  there  can  be  no  doubt  Dr. 
Baillie  expected,  of  exciting  an  increased  attention  from  that 
learned  body  to  anatomy,  and  especially  to  morbid  anatomy, 
the  profession,  and  society  at  large,  will  owe  to  him  lasting 
obligations.  The  sense  which  the  College  of  Physicians  en. 
tertained  at  the  time,  of  the  value  and  importance  of  the  do- 
nation, was  expressed  in  the  following  resolution,  with  which 


DR.  BAILLIE.  329 

the  president  and  the  other  officers  of  the  College  waited  upon 
Dr.  Baillie,  and  presented  it  to  him  in  person  :  — 

"  Resolved, 

"  That  the  thanks  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians  be 
conveyed  to  Dr.  Baillie,  for  the  very  extensive  and  valuable 
collection  of  anatomical  preparations  which  he  has  presented 
to  the  College,  and  for  his  liberal  donation  to  defray  the  ex- 
pence  of  preserving  the  same ;  for  which  most  useful  and 
munificent  present  the  College  will  ever  hold  Dr.  Baillie  in 
grateful  and  honourable  remembrance." 

To  the  donation  of  600/.  the  College  of  Physicians  added 
6001.  more,  for  the  same  purpose ;  and  this  sum  is  called 
"  The  Baillie  Fund." 

After  many  years  spent  in  the  cultivation  of  "the  most  se- 
vere science,  (for  surely  anatomy  and  pathology  may  be  so 
considered,)  and  in  the  performance  of  professional  duties  on 
the  largest  scale,  (for  he  was  consulted  not  only  by  those  who 
personally  knew  him,  but  by  individuals  of  all  nations,)  Dr. 
Baillie  of  late  resorted  to  other  studies,  as  a  pastime  and  re- 
creation. He  attended  more  to  the  general  progress  of  know- 
ledge :  he  took  particular  pleasure  in  mineralogy  ;  and  even 
from  the  natural  history  of  the  articles  of  the  Pharmacopoeia 
he  appeared  to  derive  a  new  source  of  gratification. 

By  a  certain  difficulty  which  he  contrived  to  place  in  the 
way  of  those  who  wished  to  consult  him,  and  by  seeing  them 
only  in  company  with  other  medical  attendants,  he,  for  a  time, 
procured  for  himself,  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  that  leisure 
which  his  health  required,  and  which  suited  the  maturity  of 
his  reputation,  while  he  intentionally  left  the  field  of  practice 
open  to  new  aspirants ;  but,  notwithstanding  all  his  efforts,  he 
insensibly  relapsed  into  practice  almost  as  full  and  general  as 
ever.  The  effects  were  evidently  injurious  to  him.  He  ap- 
peared like  a  man  who  had  some  local  source  of  irritation,  or 
visceral  affection,  which  was  preying  on  his  constitution.  He 
was  himself  quite  aware  of  his  condition  and  his  danger, 
and  went  to  Tunbridge  for  ease  and  air.  Every  body  hoped 


330  DR.  BAILLIE. 

that  his  state  of  health  was  to  be  ascribed  to  the  fatigues  of 
business;  and  that  this  temporary  retirement  would  afford 
him  relief.  Unhappily  that  was  not  the  case.  Finding  him- 
self sensibly  and  rapidly  sinking,  Dr.  Baillie  repaired  to  his 
seat,  Duntisbourne  House,  near  Cirencester,  in  Gloucester- 
shire, where,  on  the  23d  of  September,  1823,  he  expired ; 
having,  by  the  calmness .  afxl  resignation  of  his  last  days, 
summed  up  the  virtues  of  his  life. 

Eminent  as  Dr.  Baillie  was  as  a  physician,  those  who  knew 
him  well  will  not  hesitate  to  say  that  he  was  not  less  distin- 
guished as  a  man.  The  leading  features  of  his  character 
were  simplicity,  singleness  of  heart,  and  ingenuousness,  not  at 
variance,  but  in  strict  accordance,  with  true  wisdom.  He  was 
quick  of  apprehension,  and  expressed  himself  perspicuously, 
impressively,  and  readily ;  and  had  such  a  command  of  thought 
and  language,  that  he  has  been  known,  when  he  was  a  lecturer, 
to  change  the  subject  of  his  lecture  at  the  moment  of  deliver- 
ing it,  and  to  give  at  once  a  lecture  which  he  had  not  prepared. 
His  judgment  was  remarkably  correct;  and  his  opinion  and 
advice,  therefore,  upon  all  subjects,  were  of  great  value.  He 
had  the  power  of  reasoning  clearly  and  powerfully ;  but,  on 
many  occasions,  he  seemed  to  arrive  at  his  conclusion  by  a 
sort  of  tact,  rather  than  to  make  his  way  to  it  by  argument. 
His  mind  was  always  more  readily  engaged  by  what  was  useful, 
than  by  what  was  merely  curious  and  ingenious. 

His  society  had  a  charm  which  those  who  have  enjoyed  it 
will  not  easily  forget.  His  frankness,  good  humour,  kindness, 
warmth  of  manner  and  expression,  indicating  the  interest  he 
took  in  all  around  him,  set  every  one  at  his  ease,  and  called 
forth  his  best  and  happiest  feelings.  He  was  fitted  by  his 
general  knowledge  for  taking  a  part  in  conversation  upon  any 
subject  that  presented  itself;  and,  notwithstanding  his  numer- 
ous professional  engagements,  he  found  time  for  making  him- 
self acquainted  with  such  new  publications  as  excited  a  ge- 
neral interest.  After  his  professional  life  became  very  active, 
it  was  impossible  for  him  to  have  leisure  for  studying  much 
out  of  his  own  profession  ;  and  his  knowledge,  therefore,  upon 


DR.  BAILLIE.  331 

subjects  which  did  not  belong  to  it,  was  probably  a  good  deal 
confined  to  the  acquisitions  -he  'fead  made  in  the  course  of  his 
excellent  education,  to  the  suggestions  of  conversation,  and 
to  the  reflections  of  his  own  acute  and  powerful  mind. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  produce  an  instance  of  a  person 
equally  disinterested,  fair,  candid,  and  generous ;  or  one  whose 
natural  elevation  of  mind  raised-hfni  more  above  the  reach  of 
temptation  to  whatever  is  base,  sordid,  or  selfish.  Of  the 
truth  of  this  character,  the  following  anecdote,  related  by 
Mr.  Bell  in  the  Introductory  Lecture  to  his  Course  of  Anatomy, 
(from  which  interesting  lecture  we  have  derived  many  of  the 
foregoing  facts  and  observations,)  affords  a  splendid  proof:  — 
"  The  merest  chance  brought  me  acquainted  with  a  circum- 
stance very  honourable  to  Dr.  Baillie.  While  still  a  young 
man,  and  not  affluent,  his  uncle  William,  dying,  left  him  the 
small  family-estate  of  Longcalderwood.  We  all  know  of  the 
unhappy  misunderstanding  that  existed  between  Dr.  Hunter 
and  his  brother  John.  Dr.  Baillie  felt  that  he  owed  this  be- 
quest to  the  partiality  of  his  uncle,  and  made  it  over  to  John 
Hunter.  The  latter  long  refused  ;  but,  in  the  end,  the  family- 
estate  remained  the  property  of  the  brother,  and  not  of  the 
nephew  of  Dr.  Hunter." 

There  was  one  trait  in  Dr,  Baillie's  character  which  ought 
not  to  pass  without  special  notice;  namely,  his  professional 
liberality,  not  only  to  his  equals  in  medical  rank,  but  to  his 
juniors,  and  to  those  who  practised  the  subordinate  part  of 
his  profession.  Notwithstanding  the  multiplicity  of  profes- 
sional engagements  which  occupied  his  time,  even,  as  we  have 
observed,  to  the  destruction  of  his  health,  he  was  ever  punctual 
to  the  moment  of  an  appointment;  and  particularly  so  if  he 
had  to  meet  a  junior  practitioner  in  consultation.  On  that 
subject  he  has  been  heard  to  express  himself  in  the  following 
words :  —  "I  consider  it  not  only  a  professional  but  a  moral 
duty  punctually  to  meet  my  professional  brethren  of  all  ranks. 
My  equals  have  a  right  to  such  a  mark  of  my  respect,  and  I 
should  shudder  at  the  apprehension  of  lessening  a  junior  prac- 
titioner in  the  eyes  of  his  patient,  by  not  keeping  an  appoint- 


332  DR.  BAILLIE. 

ment  with  him."  It  is  owing  to  the  constant  manifestation  of 
this  feeling  in  Dr.  Baillie' s  conduct,  that  the  younger  prac- 
titioners in  medicine  lament  his  loss,  as  that  of  a  most  valuable 
friend.  They  were  always  delighted  to  call  him  to  a  consult- 
ation, because  he  was  scrupulously  anxious  not  to  obtrude 
himself  in  such  a  manner  as  might  tend  in  any  way  to  injure 
their  interests  or  connection. 

Dr.  Baillie  seemed  to  have  an  innate  love  of  goodness,  a 
secret  sympathy  with  the  virtuous,  and  to  rejoice  in  their 
honourable  and  dignified  conduct,  as  in  a  thing  in  which  he 
had  a  personal  interest,  and  as  if  he  felt  that  his  own  cha- 
racter was  raised  by  it,  as  well  as  human  nature  ennobled. 
He  censured  warmly  what  he  disapproved,  from  a  strong 
attachment  to  what  is  right,  not  to  display  his  superiority  to 
others,  or  to  give  vent  to  any  asperity  of  temper ;  at  the  same 
time  he  was  indulgent  to  failings.  His  kindness  to  others  led 
him  on  many  occasions  to  overlook  what  was  due  to  himself; 
and  even  in  his  last  illness  he  paid  gratuitous  professional 
visits  which  were  above  his  strength,  and  was  in  danger  of 
suddenly  exhausting  himself  by  his  exertions  for  others.  His 
liberal  disposition  is  well  known  to  all  who  are  acquainted 
with  public  charitable  subscriptions ;  the  great  extent  to  which 
it  showed  itself  in  private  benefactions  is  known  only  to  those 
who  were  nearly  connected  with  him,  and  perhaps  was  fully 
known  only  to  himself. 

To  the  profound  respect  entertained  for  Dr.  Baillie  by 
the  college  of  which  he  was  so  distinguished  an  ornament, 
the  following  occurrence  bears  ample  testimony.  At  the  last 
quarterly  commission  before  his  death,  when  there  was  a 
full  assemblage  of  members,  in  the  midst  of  the  affairs  for  the 
consideration  of  which  they  were  called  together,  Dr.  Baillie 
entered  the  room,  —  emaciated,  hectic,  and  with  all  the 
symptoms  of  approaching  dissolution.  Such  was  the  effect  of 
his  sudden  and  unexpected  appearance,  that  the  public 
business  was  suspended,  and  every  one  present  instantly  and 
spontaneously  rose,  and  remained  standing  until  Dr.  Baillie 
had  taken  his  seat ;  a  tribute  of  affectionate  reverence  which 


DR.  BAILLIE.  333 

we  believe  to  be  wholly  unprecedented.  —  When  information 
reached  the  College  of  Physicians  of  the  melancholy  event  of 
Dr.  Baillie's  death,  the  following  memorial  of  respect  was 
ordered  to  be  inserted  in  the  College  Annals :  it  is  dated  the 
30th  of  September,  1823  :  — 

"  That  our  posterity  may  know  the  extent  of  its  obligations 
to  the  benefactor  whose  death  we  deplore,  be  it  recorded,  that 
Dr.  Baillie  gave  the  whole  of  his  most  valuable  collection  of 
Anatomical  preparations  to  the  college,  and  six  hundred 
pounds  for  the  preservation  of  the  same ;  and  this,  too,  (after 
the  example  of  the  illustrious  Harvey,)  in  his  lifetime. 

"  His  contemporaries  need  not  an  enumeration  of  his  many 
virtues  to  account  for  their  respectful  attachment  to  him 
whilst  he  lived,  or  to  justify  the  profound  grief  which  they 
feel  at  his  death.  But  to  the  rising  generation  of  physicians 
it  may  be  useful  to  hold  up,  for  an  example,  his  remarkable 
simplicity  of  heart,  his  strict  and  clear  integrity,  his  generosity, 
and  that  religious  principle  by  which  his  conduct  seemed  al- 
ways to  be  governed,  as  well  calculated  to  secure  to  them  the 
respect  and  good  will  of  their  colleagues,  and  the  profes- 
sion at  large,  and  the  high  estimation  and  confidence  of  the 
public." 

Dr.  Baillie  had  an  elder  brother,  who  died  very  young,  and 
two  sisters,  who  survive  him,  — Mrs.  Agnes  and  Mrs.  Joanna 
Baillie ;  the  latter  well  known  in  the  literary  world,  as  the 
author  of  the  "  Series  of  Plays  on  the  Passions,"  and  of  the 
*c  Metrical  Legends."  He  married  Sophia,  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Dr.  Denman,  and  sister  of  the  Common  Sergeant  and 
Lady  Croft,  whom  he  has  left,  with  a  son  and  daughter,  to 
lament  their  irreparable  loss,  with  the  consolation,  however, 
whenever  they  shall  be  able  to  make  use  of  it,  of  having  shared 
and  added  to  the  enjoyments  of  his  life. 

He  bequeathed  by  his  will  three  hundred  pounds  to  the 
College  of  Physicians,  and  all  his  medical,  surgical,  and  ana- 
tomiccil  books,  together  with  all  the  copper-plates  belonging 
to  his  "  Illustrations  of  Mordid  Anatomy,"  as  well  as  a  num- 
ber of  little  curiosities,  among  which  is  the  gold-headed  cane 


S34f  DR.  BAILLIE. 

of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Radcliffe.  (In  case  of  the  death  of  his 
son,  William  Hunter  Baillie,  without  issue,  he  has  also  left 
to  the  college  a  further  bequest  of  four  thousand  pounds.) 
He  has  directed  his  two  Introductory  Lectures  to  his  Courses 
of  Morbid  Anatomy,  his  Lectures  upon  the  Nervous  System, 
delivered  before  the  College  of  Physicians,  and  a  short  Ac- 
count of  his  Medical  Practice,  to  be  printed,  but  not  published ; 
remarking  that,  though  not  sufficiently  important  for  publica- 
tion, they  may  yet  contain  matter  too  useful  to  be  altogether 
lost*  The  various  articles  of  plate  presented  to  him  in  the 
course  of  his  professional  practice  are  left  to  his  son,  to 
be  preserved  in  the  family.  Three  hundred  pounds  are  left 
to  the  Society  for  the  Relief  of  Widows  and  Orphans  of  Medi- 
cal Men ;  to  Mrs.  Baillie  he  has  left  his  house,  furniture,  &c., 
a  sum  of  two  thousand  pounds,  and  one  thousand  per  annum; 
to  his  sisters,  Agnes  and  Joanna  Baillie,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  per  annum  each;  and  there  is  further  pro- 
vision, to  a  considerable  amount,  for  these  and  other  legatees, 
in  case  of  his  son  dying  without  issue,  to  whom  is  given  the 
residuary  personal  estate,  as  well  as  the  freeholds  in  the  county 
of  Gloucester  and  elsewhere.  Thomas  Denman  and  Thomas 
William  Carr,  Esqrs.,  are  the  executors,  and  have  a  legacy  of 
100/.  each  as  a  compliment  for  their  trouble.  The  will  was 
proved  in  the  Prerogative  Court  on  the  21st  of  October,  1823, 
and  the  effects  were  sworn  under  80>000£.  It  is  dated  the 
2lstof  May,  1819, 


33d 


No.  XVI. 
THE  RIGHT  HON.  SYLVESTER  DOUGLAS, 

BARON     GLENBERVJE      OF      KINCARDINE,    F.  R.    AND    A.  S. 
Motto  —  PER  VARIOS  CASUS. 

JLoRD  GLENBERVIE  was  the  eldest  son  of  John  Douglas,  Esq. 
of  Fechil,  in  the  parish  of  Ellon,  county  of  Aberdeen. 

The  said  John  Douglas  was  tenth  in  lineal  male  descent 
from  William  Douglas,  first  Earl  of  Douglas ;  which  William 
was  paternal  nephew  and  successor,  as  heir  male,  to  James, 
eighth  Lord  Douglas,  (called  by  the  Scottish  historians  the 
good  Sir  James,)  who  flourished  in  the  time  of  Robert  Bruce, 
King  of  Scotland,  and  Edward  I.,  King  of  England.  The 
said  William  was  seventh  in  male  descent  from  William  de 
Douglas,  first  Lord  Douglas,  who  was  descended  from  Sholto 
Douglas,  said  to  have  flourished  in  700.  John  Douglas  was 
the  great-great-grandson,  and  became  (in  consequence  of 
the  death  of  his  elder  brother  George,  and  of  Robert  and 
James,  the  only  sons  of  George,  who  both  died  unmarried,) 
lineal  heir  male  of  the  body  of  the  Reverend  James  Douglas, 
of  Glenbervie ;  which  James  was  brother  to  William  the  ninth 
Earl  of  Angus,  the  said  ninth  earl  being  the  sixth  in  lineal 
male  descent  from  the  above-named  William,  the  first  Earl  of 
Douglas,  and  great-grandson  to  Archibald,  the  fifth  Earl  of 
Angus,  (styled  the  Great  Earl,)  whose  second  son  was  Gawin 
Douglas,  Bishop  of  Dunkeld,  author  of  the  celebrated  trans- 
lation of  Virgil. 

The  said  Archibald  was  the  common  ancestor  of  the  Lady 
Margaret  Douglas,  maternal  sister  of  James  V.  of  Scotland, 


336  LORD    GLENBERVIE. 

niece  of  Henry  VIII.,  grand-daughter  of  Henry  VII.,  and 
grandmother  of  James  the  first  of  England  and  sixth  of  Scot- 
land ;  being  the  mother  of  Lord  Darnley,  and  of  the  present 
Archibald  Lord  Douglas ;  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton ;  of  the 
Earl  of  Selkirk ;  of  Sir  William  Hamilton,  K.  B. ;  of  Sir 
Alexander  Douglas,  Bart,  (styled  of  Glenbervie) ;  and  of  the 
late  Lord  Glenbervie. 

John  Douglas,  Esq.,  Lord  Glenbervie's  father,  who  was 
born  in  1714,  and  died  in  1762,  married  Catharine,  the  se- 
cond of  the  three  daughters  and  co-heirs  of  James  Gordon 
of  Fechil,  great-grandson  to  the  celebrated  geographer,  Robert 
Gordon  of  Straloch,  authyr  of  the  Geography  of  Scotland, 
inserted  in  Bleau's  Atlas.  The  said  Catharine  Gordon  was 
second  cousin  to  the  last  Earl  Marischal,  George  Keith  ;  they 
being  grandchildren  of  George  Hay,  second  Earl  of  Kinnoul, 
by  his  two  daughters,  the  Ladies  Mary  and  Catharine.  By 
her  Mr.  Douglas  had  issue  Sylvester,  the  late  Lord  Glen- 
bervie, and  Catharine,  who  married  James  Mercer,  of  Sunny 
Bank,  Aberdeenshire,  Esq.,  and  died  in  1802. 

Lord  Glenbervie  was  born  May  24.  174-3.  He  received 
the  rudiments  of  his  education  near  the  place  of  his  nativity, 
whence  he  went  to  the  University  of  Aberdeen  ;  and,  after 
prosecuting  his  studies  there  for  two  or  three  years,  travelled 
with  the  present  Lord  Douglas  over  the  Continent.  While 
abroad,  and  particularly  during  his  residence  at  Paris  and 
Vienna,  Mr.  Douglas  mixed  in  gay  and  expensive  society  to 
an  extent  which  led  to  the  sale  of  his  paternal  property  at  an 
early  period  of  his  life,  and  happily  forced  upon  him  the  ne- 
cessity of  applying  his  mind  and  talents  to  some  professions  by 
which  he  might  obtain  the  means  of  honourable  independence. 
His  situation  and  feeling  at  this  period  are  well  expressed  in 
the  following  "  Ode  to  Poverty,"  written  by  himself  at  the 
time :  — 


LORD    GLENBERVIE.  337 


TO  POVERTY. 

WRITTEN    ON    MY    RETURN    FROM    VIENNA,    MARCH, 

COME,  Poverty,  to  Pleasure's  snares, 
To  wild  Ambition's  loftier  cares, 

While  calm  Content  succeeds  ; 
Teach  me,  stern  goddess,  to  deride 
The  miser's  gold  !  the  monarch's  pride  J 

The  hero's  boasted  deeds  ! 

Teach  me,  while  I  no  more  pursue 
The  rainbow  hope,  which  still  in  view 

Still  cheats  the  grasping  fool, 
To  shun  the  thresholds  *  of  the  great> 
No  courtly  sycophant,  nor  yet 

Seditious  faction's  tool. 

Too  long  the  dazzling  glare  of  courts 
Where  Fortune  with  Ambition  sports, 

Drew  my  fond  thoughts  astray  : 
Too  long  was  Pleasure's  path  my  choice* 
While,  deaf  to  Reason's  sober  voice, 

I  heard  her  syren  lay* 

Ambition  !  Pleasure  !  fatal  pair  ! 
My  buoyant  spirits,  light  as  air, 

No  gloomy  damp  opprest  ; 
'Till  won  by  their  delusive  charms, 
I  clasp'd  them  in  my  youthful  arms, 

And  press'd  them  to  my  breast. 

'Twas  then  the  poison  they  infus'd 
Which,  through  my  inmost  frame  diffus'd 

Mad  Passion's  feverish  rage; 
But  Poverty,  though  Reason  fail, 
With  force  resistless  shall  prevail, 

Its  fury  to  assuage. 

*  "  Forumque  vitat,  et  superba 

Civiura  potentiorum  limina."         Hem. 
VOL.  VIII.  Z 


338  LORD    GLENBERVJE. 

The  profession  of  the  law  was  that  to  which  Mr.  Douglas 
determined  to  devote  himself-  At  the  age  of  thirty-one,  he 
entered  at  Lincoln's  Inn;  and,  notwithstanding  his  former 
long-continued  habits  of  indulgence,  —  habits  so  destructive 
in  general  of  all  inclination  for  laborious  study,  —  he  applied 
with  such  earnestness  and  industry  to  his  new  pursuit, 
and  especially  to  the  law  of  controverted  elections,  that  he 
soon  became  highly  and  justly  celebrated  for  his  legal  ac- 
quirements, and  for  several  years  was  in  possession  of  the 
principal  practice  in  that  very  lucrative  branch  of  the  profes- 
sion, —  the  election-law.  He  was  also  selected  by  the  House 
of  Commons  as  one  of  their  counsel  to  assist  the  managers  of 
the  impeachment  of  Warren  Hastings,  Esq. 

Having  thus  obtained  considerable  eminence  as  a  profes- 
sional man,  Mr.  Douglas,  on  the  26th  September,  1789, 
married  the  Honourable  Katharine  Anne  North,  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  Frederic  Lord  North,  afterwards  Earl  of  Guilford  ;  an 
amiable  and  excellent  woman  ;  who,  besides  many  more  va- 
luable qualities,  possessed,  to  use  Lord  Glenbervie's  own 
words  *,  "  the  most  prompt,  genuine,  and  brilliantwit,"  which, 
however,  "  was  always  vigilantly  checked  and  reined  in  by  a 
proportionate  share  of  tact,  good  nature,  and  delicacy." 
The  admirable  character  of  this  lady  is  fully  and  touchingly 
painted  in  the  following  inscription  on  a  tablet,  which,  after 
her  decease  in  January,  1817,  was  placed  in  Hampton 
church : 

"  Near  this  place  are  deposited 
The  mortal  remains  of  Lady  Katharine  Anne  North, 

LADY  GI,ENBERVIE. 

"  Those  who  knew  her  while  she  sojourned  on  earth,  and  who  knew  how  to  form 
a  just  estimate  of  that  rare  union  of  the  soundest  understanding,  the  kindest, 
tenderest  heart,  the  happiest  temper,  and  the  most  lively  yet  innocent  wit,  by 
which  she  was  so  eminently  distinguished :  those  who  had  opportunities  of  con- 
templating the  steady  firmness  and  edifying  tenour  of  her  principles,  affections, 
and  conduct  as  a  daughter,  a  sister,  a  mother,  and  a  wife  ;  as  a  Christian,  a  friend, 
and  a  member  of  society :  those  who  can  bear  testimony  to  the  severity  with 

*  Notes  to  "  Ricciardetto." 


LORD    GLENBERVIE.  339 

which  she  scrutinised  her  own  thoughts,  words,  and  actions,  and  her  ever  charitable 
indulgence  towards  those  of  others,  will  be  best  able  to  conceive,  and  will,  per- 
haps, sympathise  with  the  sentiments  of  unavailing  sorrow  and  regret  (though 
not  daring  to  arraign  the  impenetrable  dispensations  of  Providence)  with  which 
her  aged  husband  has  dictated  this  scanty  and  inadequate  memorial  of  her  ex- 
cellence." 


This  marriage  naturally  introduced  Mr.  Douglas  into  poli- 
tical life.  On  the  junction  of  a  portion  of  the  Whigs  with  Mr. 
Pitt's  administration,  in  1793,  he  was  made  a  king's  counsel, 
and  appointed  chief  secretary  to  the  Earl  of  Westmoreland, 
then  lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland.  In  1795  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  commissioners  for  the  affairs  of  India.  In  1798, 
he  became  one  of  the  lords  of  the  Treasury.  In  1800,  he  was 
appointed  governor  of  tbfe  Cape  of  Good  Hope;  and  was  on 
that  occasion  advanced  to  the  dignity  of  a  peer  of  Ireland,  by 
the  title  of  Baron  Glenbervie  of  Kincardine.  He  did  not, 
however,  go  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope ;  his  views  having 
been  altered  by  a  change  in  the  ministry  the  day  before  that 
which  had  been  fixed  for  his  embarkation,  and  a  determin- 
ation to  restore  that  valuable  colony  to  the  Dutch.  On  the 
20th  February,  1801,  His  Lordship  kissed  His  Majesty's  hand 
on  being  nominated  joint  paymaster-general  of  the  forces,  in 
the  room  of  Mr.  Canning.  In  1803,  Lord  Glenbervie  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  office  of  surveyor- general  of  the  king's  woods, 
forests,  and  chases;  which  office  he  resigned  in  1806,  but  was 
again  appointed  to  it  in  the  following  year.  To  the  duties  of  this 
office  he  applied  himself  with  the  most  ardent  zeal  and  perse- 
verance ;  and  the  advantages  which  the  public  have  derived 
from  his  exertions  are  considerable.  The  efforts  of  all  His 
Lordship's  predecessors,  from  the  very  establishment  of  the 
office  itself,  had  been  confined  to  cutting  down  the  wood.  Lord 
Glenbervie  was  actuated  by  a  more  wise  and  provident  spirit  ; 
and,  while  he  was  the  surveyor-general,  between  thirty  and 
forty  thousand  acres  were  inclosed,  and  carefully  planted.  To 
him,  therefore,  the  present  flourishing  condition  of  the  King's 
woods,  forests,  and  chases,  is  chiefly  attributable.  His  Lord- 

z  2 


34-0  LORD    GLENBERVIE. 

ship  was  also  for  some  years  vice-president  of  the  Board  of 
Trade. 

Lord  Glenbervie  sat  in  the  Irish  parliament  for  St.  Canice, 
or  Irish  Town  ;  and  in  the  British  and  Imperial  parliaments, 
first  for  Fowey,  then  for  Midhurst,  afterwards  for  Plympton, 
and,  lastly,  for  Hastings.  He  was  a  frequent  speaker.  His 
reasoning  was  always  close  and  logical,  and  was  occasionally 
enlivened  by  dry  and  effective  sarcasm ;  and  his  utterance, 
which  was  slow  and  solemn,  was  in  strict  harmony  with  the 
profound  and  intellectual  expression  of  his  countenance.  One 
of  his  most  celebrated  speeches  was  made  on  the  23d  of  April, 
1799,  on  seconding  the  motion  of  the  Right  Hon.  the  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Exchequer,  for  the  House  of  Commons  to  agree 
with  the  House  of  Lords  in  an  address  to  His  Majesty  rela- 
tive to  the  union  with  Ireland ;  of  which  measure  Lord  Glen- 
bervie was  a  warm  and  an  able  advocate.  In  1801,  he 
repeatedly  took  part  in  the  debates  on  the  "  Corn  Bill."  In 
1802,  he  suggested  an*  important  amendment  in  the  "  Navy 
Abuse  Bill,"  relative  to  the  legal  questions  which  might  be 
be  raised  about  supposed  difficulties.  On  the  8th  of  April, 
1805,  when  the  House  of  Commons  decided  on  the  conduct 
of  Lord  Melville,  who  had  been  implicated  in  a  Report  from 
the  Commissioners  of  Naval  Inquiry,  Lord  Glenbervie  voted 
in  the  minority  of  216  to  217.  On  the  26th  of  June  follow- 
ing, he  was  chosen  by  ballot  one  of  a  committee  of  seven,  to 
inquire  into  and  examine  the  secret  matter  contained  in  the 
Eleventh  Report  of  the  Commissioners  of  Naval  Inquiry ;  and 
afterwards,  as  chairman  of  the  committee,  delivered  in  the 
report  of  their  proceedings. 

Lord  Glenbervie  had  an  only  son,  the  Hon.  Frederic  Syl- 
vester North  Z)ouglas,  who  was  educated  at  Westminster 
school,  and  was  afterwards  a  student  of  Christ  Church,  Ox- 
ford ;  where  he  gained  the  first  class  honours,  and  took  the 
degree  of  M.  A.  On  various  occasions  he  displayed  the 
greatest  taste,  learning,  and  judgment ;  and  among  other 
productions,  published  a  valuable  work  "  On  certain  Points 
of  Resemblance  between  the  ancient  and  modern  Greeks,"  de- 


LORD    GLENBERVIE.  341 

rived  from  the  observations  which  he  made  during  his  travels 
in  that  country;  which  will  always  be  interesting  to  literature. 
During  two  parliaments  Mr,  Douglas  sat  in  the  House  for 
the  borough  of  Banbury,  and  gave  great  earnest  of  future 
eminence  and  celebrity.  In  July,  1819,  he  married  Harriet, 
eldest  daughter  of  William  Wrightson,  Esq.  of  Cusworth, 
Yorkshire ;  a  union  which  promised  lasting  felicity  to  both 
parties.  To  the  inexpressible  grief,  however,  of  his  family 
and  friends,  and  the  deep  and  general  regret  of  the  public  at 
large,  on  the  21st  of  October  following,  a  sudden  illness,  — 
effusion  on  the  brain,  —  deprived  his  country  of  one  who  pro- 
mised to  be  among  her  brightest  ornaments,  in  the  29th  year 
of  his  age.  The  subjoined  just  and  eloquent  tribute  to  his 
memory  appeared  a  few  days  after  in  the  Morning  Chro- 
nicle :  — 

"  The  early  death  of  the  Hon.  Frederic  North  Douglas 
demands  more  than  common  notice.  Indefatigable  in  his  at- 
tention to  public  business,  he  brought  to  the  consideration  of 
every  subject  a  clear,  vigorous,  and  active  understanding ;  a 
copious  fund  of  information,  the  spirit  and  the  tact  of  a  man 
of  business.  He  had  devoted,  at  an  early  age,  all  his  facul- 
ties to  public  life,  and  in  the  opinion  of  the  most  judicious 
among  his  contemporaries,  he  would  have  obtained  the  highest 
distinctions  of  parliament,  and  of  the  state.  As  a  classical 
and  a  general  scholar,  greatly  accomplished  in  languages  and 
in  letters,  few  were  his  superiors ;  but  it  is  for  his  friends 
alone  to  speak  with  justice  of  his  social  merits.  Inheriting, 
with  the  name,  the  humour  of  Lord  North,  the  characteristic 
humour  of  his  family,  which  appeared  to  be  rather  the  effu- 
sion of  playful  spirits  and  of  social  enjoyment  than  the  effort 
of  wit,  and  being  free  from  spleen  or  vanity,  was  incapable 
of  inflicting  pain,  he  enlivened  every  society  by  his  presence* 
A  cheerful  and  agreeable  companion,  a  warm  and  generous 
friend,  a  kind  and  affectionate  son,  nothing  remained  to  make 
his  private  character  more  amiable,  but  that  most  endearing 
relation  of  all,  which,  with  every  prospect  of  happiness,  he 

z  3 


342  LORD    GLENBERVIE. 

had    undertaken   only   a   few   months   before   his   lamented 
death." 

Such  was  the  language  in  which  the  public  press  spoke  of 
Mr.  Douglas.  The  following  inscription,  placed  near  his 
remains  in  Hampton  Church,  will  further  show  the  affliction 
of  those  who  were  near  to  him  in  blood  and  affection,  and  the 
irreparable  loss  which  society  sustained  by  his  premature 
decease : 

"  In  Memory 

of 

The  Honourable  Frederic  Sylvester  North  Douglas, 
only  son  of  Sylvester  Lord  Glenbervie, 

and  of  Katharine  Anne, 
Daughter  of  Frederic  second  Earl  of  Guilford ; 

in  two  successive  Parliaments 
Representative  of  the  borough  of  Banbury  : 
who,  during  the  short  but  not  obscure  career 

assigned  him  by  Providence, 

was  distinguished,  both  in  public  and  private  life, 

by  splendid  talents  and  extensive  acquirements, 

by  an  ardent  attachment  to  literature, 

a  Patriotism  consistent,  disinterested,  and  rational, 

an  unaffected  zeal  in  the  cause  of  Benevolence  and  Religion, 

the  kindest  heart,  the  most  conciliating  manners, 

and  a  conscientious  and  cheerful  discharge 

of  all  the  social  duties  and  charities 

of  a  Friend,  a  Son*  a  Husband, 

a  Senator,  and  a  Christian. 

He  was  born  February  8.  1791,  married  July  19.  1819,  to  Harriet,  eldest 
daughter  of  William  Wrightson,  Esq.  of  Cusworth,  in  the  county  of  York,  and 
died  October  21.  in  the  same  year." 


It  is  impossible  for  any  one  of  common  feeling  to  contem- 
plate the  state  into  which  Lord  Glenbervie  must  have  been 
thrown  by  this  unexpected  calamity,  without  emotion.  Lady 
Glenbervie  had  died  only  two  years  before.  That  event  was  a 
heavy  blow ;  but  it  was  in  the  course  of  nature,  and  was  there- 
fore an  evil  for  which  her  noble  husband  must  have  been  in 
some  degree  prepared.  But  the  death  of  his  son,  his  only  son, 
was  not  merely  an  additional,  it  was  an  unlooked-for  afflic- 
tion. The  grief  which  it  occasioned,  deep  in  itself,  must 
have  been  embittered  by  disappointment.  Had  it  occurred 


LORD    GLENBERVIE. 

at  an  earlier  period,  it  would  have  been  sufficiently  severe ; 
bnt  it  was  delayed  until  every  circumstance  conspired  to  aug- 
ment the  anguish  of  the  infliction,  It  is  after  the  labours  of 
tillage  are  successfully  over,  when  the  corn  has  sprung 
healthily  and  luxuriantly  from  the  earth,  and  every  thing  indi- 
cates the  near  approach  of  an  abundant  and  glorious  harvest, 
that  the  storm,  by  which  the  cultivator's  hopes  are  in  a  moment 
destroyed,  falls  with  its  most  overwhelming  and  heart-break- 
ing effect. 

But  the  influence  of  a  sound  philosophy,  and  the  advan- 
tages of  a  cultivated  taste,  were  perhaps  never  more  strikingly 
exemplified  than  in  His  Lordship's  case.  By  plunging  into 
literary  studies  and  amusements,  he  was  enabled  in  some  de- 
gree to  divert  his  attention  from  retrospects  under  which  he 
must  otherwise  have  speedily  sunk.  Among  various  employ- 
ments of  a  similar  nature,  to  which  he  devoted  himself  with 
almost  youthful  alacrity  and  relish,  he  translated  the  first  canto 
of  "  Ricciardetto,"  a  humorous  Italian  poem  by  Fortiguerri  ; 
which  translation  was  published  in  1822,  with  an  introduction 
relative  to  the  principal  romantic,  burlesque,  and  mock-heroic 
poets,  and  notes,  critical  and  philological.  The  original  is 
rendered  into  English  with  spirit  and  correctness,  and  the 
whole  work  does  great  honour  to  the  learned  and  venerable 
translator.  He  also  occupied  some  of  the  latter  years  of  his 
life  in  preparing  for  publication  a  new  edition  of  the  transla- 
tion of  Virgil  into  Scottish  verse,  by  his  ancestor,  Gawin 
Douglas,  Bishop  of  Dunkeld,  with  a  life  of  the  author ;  and 
a  Comparison  between  English  and  Italian  literature.  He 
had  likewise  made  considerable  progress  in  what,  if  completed, 
must  have  proved  a  most  interesting  work,  namely,  an  ac- 
count of  the  private  and  political  life  of  his  father-in-law,  Lord 
North ;  for  which,  it  is  understood,  he  had  very  copious  ma- 
terials, having  been  the  surviving  executor  of  His  Lordship's 
widow,  Lady  Guilford;  and  in  that  character  having  become 
possessed  of  all  Lord  North's  correspondence  with  the  King 
during  his  ministry,  as  well  as  with  the  eminent  persons  who 
were  his  colleagues  in  the  administration. 

Z  4 


344"  LORD    GLENBERVIE. 

In  addition  to  very  eminent  classical  acquirements,  Lord 
Glenbervie  was  considered  one  of  the  first  modern  lin- 
guists of  his  time ;  and  nothing  was  more  remarkable  than  the 
way  in  which  he  retained  his  powers  and  faculties  on  literary 
subjects  to  the  very  last ;  and  after  they  had  become  some- 
what imperfect  on  matters  requiring  less  mental  exertion. 

In  December,  1822,  his  lordship,  feeling  the  infirmities 
of  age  increase,  went  to  Bath  for  the  winter,  accompa- 
nied by  his  son's  widow,  the  Hon.  Mrs.  F.  S.  N.  Douglas,  from 
whom  he  experienced,  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  the 
most  affectionate  and  unremitting  attention.  He  visited  Clif- 
ton and  Cheltenham ;  but  at  length  he  was  seized  with  a  vio- 
lent illness,  which,  after  two  months'  duration,  terminated  his 
life  at  Cheltenham,  on  the  2d  of  May,  1823,  in  the  80th 
year  of  .his  age. 

Besides  an  account  of  the  Tokay  and  other  wines  of  Hun- 
gary, inserted  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions  for  1773, 
Lord  Glenbervie  was  the  author  of  "  History  of  the  Cases 
of  Controverted  Elections,  determined  during  the  first  Session 
of  the  14th  Parliament  of  Great  Britain,"  4  vols.  8vo.  1777 ; 
2d  edition,  1802.  "  Reports  of  Cases  determined  in  the 
Court  of  King's  Bench,  in  the  19th,  20th,  and  21st  Years  of 
George  III."  fol.  1783;  3d  edition.  2  vols.  royal  8vo.  1790. 
Many  years  ago  His  Lordship  published  "Lyric  Poems," 
written  by  the  late  James  Mercer,  Esq.,  who  had  married 
Lord  Glenbervie's  sister,  to  which  a  life  of  the  author,  and 
an  account  of  his  own  family,  were  prefixed.  The  celebrated 
Lord  Mansfield  used  to  instance  the  preface  to  this  last-men- 
tioned volume  as  a  fine  specimen  of  prose  composition. 


No.  XVII. 

MAJOR-GENERAL  SIR  DENIS  PACK, 

K.C.B.   M.T.C.S.     AND    S.W.    COLONEL     OF     THE    84TH    FOOT,    AND 
LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR    OF    PLYMOUTH. 

JliVEN  an  outline  of  the  life  of  a  gallant  officer,  whose  name 
is  associated  with  all  the  triumphs  and  glories  of  the  late  war, 
and  who  lived  long  enough  to  reap  for  himself  an  ample  har- 
vest of  honour  and  renown,  must  be  interesting  to  every  lover 
of  his  country. 

Sir  Denis  Pack  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  He  was  appointed 
to  acornetcy  in  the  14th  light  dragoons  in  December,  1791. 
He  joined  his  regiment,  which  was  quartered  in  the  Phoenix 
Park,  Dublin,  in  January,  1792,  and  was  engaged  with  it  in 
quelling  some  disturbances  in  Ireland  between  that  period  and 
1794?;  when  he  embarked  at  Cork  for  the  Continent,  and 
landed,  with  the  forces  under  Lord  Moira,  at  Ostend.  After 
His  Lordship's  march  from  thence  to  form  a  junction  with  the 
Duke  of  York's  army,  Cornet  Pack  volunteered  his  services, 
and  was  employed  to  carry  an  important  dispatch  to  Nieu- 
port.  He  fortunately  succeeded  in  the  attempt,  and  was 
thanked  for  it  by  General  Vyse.  His  commanding  officer's 
squadron  of  the  14th  light  dragoons  was  destined,  after  the 
embarkation  at  Ostend,  to  retreat  to  Nieuport,  which  it 
effected  by  the  advance  of  a  corps  from  that  place  to  its 
support. 

Nieuport  being  immediately  invested,  further  retreat  from 
thence  became  extremely  hazardous  and  difficult.  Cornet 
Pack  was  in  a  boat  with  about  two  hundred  emigrants,  the 
last  of  those  who  escaped  the  horrors  of  that  ill-fated  garrison, 


SIR    DENIS    PACK. 

and  who  did  not  gain  the  sea  without  a  sharp  action  and  a 
severe  loss.  He  joined  the  Duke  of  York's  army  near  Ant- 
werp, and  was  in  the  action  at  Boxtel,  and  in  several  partial 
affairs. 

Having  served  the  whole  of  that  severe  winter-campaign, 
in  1795  he  returned  to  England,  succeeded  to  a  lieutenancy, 
arid  embarked  at  Southampton  in  command  of  a  detachment 
of  eighty  dragoons  for  Quiberon  Bay.  After  the  disastrous 
failure  of  the  emigrants  there,  he  proceeded  under  the  orders 
of  General  Doyle  to  the  Isle  Dieu,  where  he  landed,  and  did 
duty  for  some  months  as  a  field-officer. 

In  1796,  Lieutenant  Pack  returned  to  England,  obtained 
a  troop  in  the  5th  dragoon  guards,  and  accompanied  his  regi- 
ment to  Ireland.  He  was  frequently  engaged  during  the 
rebellion  in  that  country,  and  on  one  occasion  was  noticed  in 
the  Gazette.  When  the  French  landed  a  force  in  Ireland, 
Captain  Pack  was  specially  employed  by  Lord  Cornwallis  with 
a  detached  squadron ; '  and  after  the  surrender  of  General 
Humbert,  he  was  appointed  to  command  the  escort  which 
was  dispatched,  in  charge  of  him  and  the  other  French  Gene- 
rals, to  Dublin. 

In  1798,  he  obtained  a  majority  in  the  4th  dragoon  guards, 
and  embarked  with  his  regiment  in  the  expedition  to  Hol- 
land ;  but  was  countermanded,  and  stationed  in  England  and 
Scotland  until  1800,  when  he  succeeded,  on  the  6th  of  De- 
cember, to  a  lieutenant-colonelcy  in  the  71st  regiment.  He 
immediately  joined  that  corps  in  Ireland,  and  served  there 
until  1805;  when  he  embarked  at  Cork  on  the  expedition  to 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  under  Sir  David  Baird,  and  was 
engaged  and  severely  wounded  in  effecting  the  landing ;  but 
continued  in  the  field,  and  was  on  the  following  day  in  the 
battle  of  Blueberg. 

In  the  beginning  of  1806,  Lieutenant-colonel  Pack  went 
on  the  expedition  to  South  America,  under  the  command  of 
General  Beresford.  He  was  present  in  six  actions  with  the 
enemy  in  that  country,  and  was  wounded  and  detained  a  pri- 
soner, contrary  to  the  terms  of  the  capitulation  which  restored 


SIR    DENIS    PACK.  347 

the  town  of  Buenos  Ay  res  to  the  Spaniards.  Subsequently, 
making  his  escape  with  General  Beresford,  he  joined  Sir 
Samuel  Auchmuty's  army  at  Monte  Video.  Sir  Samuel  Auch- 
muty,  at  Lieutenant-colonel  Pack's  own  request,  directed  a 
board  of  naval  and  military  officers  to  inquire  into  the  parti- 
culars of  his  escape,  by  whom  it  was  unanimously  approved, 
and  he  was  declared  free  to  serve.  The  circumstances  of  the 
transaction  were  thus  detailed  in  a  statement  which  Lieute- 
nant-colonel Pack  addressed  to  Sir  Samuel  Auchmuty  :  — 

"  Sir,  «  Monte  Video,  February  27.  1807. 

"  Anxious  to  be  immediately  employed  in  the  service  of 
my  country,  I  take  the  liberty  of  stating  the  circumstances 
which  led  me  to  make  my  escape  from  the  enemy,  trusting  my 
conduct  on  the  occasion  will  meet  with  your  sanction,  and  that 
you  will  be  pleased  to  take  my  wishes  into  consideration.  The 
following,  I  believe,  will  be  found  a  correct  statement  of  the 
transaction. 

"  Immediately  after  the  surrender  of  the  fort  of  Buenos 
Ayres,  on  the  12th  of  August  last,  I  understood,  from  Briga- 
dier-general Beresford,  that  the  conditions  agreed  to  between 
him  and  Colonel  Liniers  were,  that  the  British  troops  were 
to  be  considered  prisoners  of  war,  but  to  be  immediately  em- 
barked for  England,  or  the  Cape,  and  to  be  exchanged  for 
those  Spanish  prisoners  made  on  the  British  possessing  them- 
selves of  Buenos  Ayres. 

"  On  the  13th,  in  the  morning,  Colonel  Liniers  dispatched 
a  Spanish  officer  to  Sir  Home  Popham,  with  a  letter  from 
General  Beresford,  to  send  the  British  transports  back,  for 
the  purpose  of  the  immediate  carrying  the  treaty  into  execu- 
tion ;  and  a  few  days  afterwards  I  was  present  when  Colonel 
Liniers  unequivocally  affixed  his  name  to  the  capitulation, 
containing  the  above  condition. 

"  After  the  return  of  the  transports,  various  delays  took 
place ;  and  I  believe  it  was  on  the  26th  that  Colonel  Liniers 
informed  General  Beresford,  in  the  presence  of  Major  Tolly, 
of  the  7 1st  regiment,  and  Captain  Arbuthnot,  the  General's 


348  SIR   DENIS   PACK. 

aide-de-camp,  (from  all  of  whom  I  learned  it,)  that  he  re- 
gretted to  inform  him  of  its  having  been  resolved,  in  spite  of 
his  efforts,  not  to  embark  the  British  troops;  at  the  same 
time  declaring  his  (Colonel  Liniers')  abhorrence  of  such  a 
breach  of  faith,  and  offering  to  second  General  Beresford's 
remonstrance  on  the  occasion. 

"  On  the  27th,  in  the  evening,  I  heard  that  Colonel  Liniers' 
aide-de-camp  had  waited  on  General  Beresford,  stating  it  to 
be  the  Colonel's  intention  to  carry  the  treaty  into  execution, 
by  privately  embarking  the  men,  and  requesting  the  General 
would  for  that  purpose  order  the  British  transports  to  a  par- 
ticular place.  However,  on  the  31st  of  August,  or  the  1st 
of  September,  it  was  finally  announced  in  a  letter,  printed 
and  made  public,  to  General  Beresford,  that  our  surrender 
was  at  discretion ;  and  that  it  was  the  determination  of  the 
then  Governor  of  Buenos  Ayres,  that  the  British  troops 
should  be  sent  to  the  interior,  and  the  officers  on  their  parole 
to  Europe. 

"  General  Beresford,  for  obvious  reasons,  at  first  declined 
our  passing  a  parole;  but  being  given  to  understand  that 
without  it  our  persons  were  insecure,  and  it  being  determined 
to  separate  the  officers  from  the  men,  he  (with  the  concur- 
rence of  the  majority  of  the  seniors)  finally  acceded  to  it. 
Notwithstanding  this,  on  the  appearance  of  a  British  force  in 
the  river,  they  were  suddenly  compelled  to  march,  under  an 
armed  escort,  several  miles  into  the  interior ;  and,  about  two 
months  afterwards,  orders  were  given  to  separate  and  remove 
them  still  farther;  and  which,  notwithstanding  the  remon- 
strance of  the  Brigadier-general,  were  in  part  carried  into  ef- 
fect. In  his  communication  at  that  time  to  Colonel  Liniers, 
he  fully  explained  that  we  did  not  consider  ourselves  oil 
parolej  nor  did  we  think  it  binding  after  our  removal  in  the 
first  instance,  and  their  refusing  to  fulfil  the  conditions  under 
which  we  had  been  prevailed  on  to  give  it. 

"  About  this  time,  the  unfortunate  murder  of  Captain 
Ogilvie,  of  the  royal  artillery,  and  a  private  soldier  of  the  71st 
regiment,  took  place ;  when  guards  were  placed  at  some  of 


SIR   DENIS    PACK.  349 

the  quarters  of  the  officers,  professedly  for  the  purpose  of 
protection,  but  positively  with  strict  injunctions  most  nar- 
rowly to  watch  us,  and  to  take  care,  as  the  Governor  said  in 
his  instructions  to  the  alcade  on  the  same  subject,  '  that  we 
did  not  desert/  I  mention  this  circumstance  to  prove  there 
could  be  no  misunderstanding  on  the  subject ;  for  though  such 
language  must  be  considered  unhandsome  and  illiberal  under 
any  circumstance,  it  surely  never  could  have  been  held  to  of- 
ficers supposed  on  their  parole. 

"  On  the  arrival  of  the  news  of  the  capture  of  Monte  Video 
by  our  forces,  the  chief  magistrate  of  Buenos  Ay  res  repaired 
to  General  Beresford's  quarters,  accompanied  by  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Gurrias,  acquainting  him  with  the  necessity  there  was 
of  possessing  himself  of  the  papers  of  the  several  British  offi- 
cers, prisoners ;  which  he  proceeded  to  do,  placing  a  sentry 
over  them  individually,  until  he  effected  his  purpose ;  and  in 
a  conversation  which  General  Beresford  had  with  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Gurrias,  the  General  explicitly  told  him  that  we  were 
not  on  our  parole,  recapitulating  the  explanation  made  to 
Colonel  Liniers  on  the  subject.  Shortly  after  this,  the  ne- 
cessity of  removing  farther  into  the  interior  was  communicated 
to  us,  and  we  were  on  our  journey  with  an  armed  escort, 
when  an  opportunity  offered,  of  which  I  most  gladly  availed 
myself,  to  make  my  escape. 

"  Sir,  I  will  not  further  trespass  on  your  time  by  comment- 
ing on  the  many  circumstances  I  conceive  so  evidently  conclu- 
sive, but  submit  the  bare  fact  to  your  better  judgment. 
However,  I  cannot  debar  myself  the  satisfaction  of  acknow- 
ledging here  the  obligation  I  am  under  to  many  individuals, 
and  the  kind  and  generous  treatment  which  I  myself,  as  well 
as  the  British  officers  in  general,  received  from  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town  and  country  of  Buenos  Ayres. 

"  I  have  the  honour,  &c. 

(Signed)         «  D.  PACK. 
"  Brigadier-general  Sir  Samuel  Auchmuty, 

commanding    His    Britannic    Majesty's 

Forces,  Monte  Video." 


350  SIR   DENIS   PACK. 

The  details  of  the  murder  of  Captain  Ogilvie,  of  the  royal 
artillery,  alluded  to  in  the  foregoing  statement,  and  in  en- 
deavouring to  prevent  which  Lieutenant-colonel  Pack  exhi- 
bited the  most  dauntless  personal  bravery,  were  subsequently 
embodied  by  him  in  the  following  simple  and  interesting  nar- 
rative :  — 

"  His  Majesty's  Ship  Pheasant,  August  25th,  1807. 

"  Captain  Ogilvie  commanded  the  detachment  of  the  royal 
artillery  in  General  Beresford's  expedition  from  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  to  the  Rio  de  la  Plata,  and  was  in  every  respect 
an  ornament  to  his  profession. 

"  Whilst  prisoners  at  Luxau,  we  formed  a  close  intimacy, 
and  were  often  in  the  habit  of  riding  out  together.  It  was  to 
him  I  first  communicated  my  settled  opinion  that  the  parole 
exacted  from  us  at  Buenos  Ayres  ought  not  to  be  considered 
binding,  and  my  idea  that  an  escape  was  feasible,  proper,  and 
expedient*  He  seemed  at  once  to  agree  with  me,  and  finding 
soon  after,  on  consulting  General  Beresford,  that  he  cordi- 
ally approved  the  measure,  became  really  to  think  it  a  duty 
incumbent  on  him  to  make  the  attempt,  conceiving  his  know- 
ledge of  the  language  would  give  him  the  best  chance  of  suc- 
cess ;  and  was  as  anxious  and  zealous  on  this  occasion  as  on 
those  where  the  interests  of  his  profession  might  appear  to  be 
more  clearly  at  stake. 

"  It  was,  I  think,  about  the  27th  of  November  last,  that 
we  went,  as  frequently  happened,  to  take  a  ride  by  ourselves 
in  the  evening.  The  weather  was  extremely  warm,  and  we 
put  on  our  lightest  dress ;  laying  aside  even  swords.  A 
fatality  seemed  to  attend  our  excursion ;  for,  though  just  at 
the  time  we  had  reason  to  think  the  minds  of  the  people  were 
a  good  deal  exasperated  against  us,  by  an  inflammatory  ser- 
mon printed  and  circulated  at  Buenos  Ayres,  with  other 
libellous  matter  against  the  English,  we  went  out  totally  un- 
provided with  any  weapon  of  defence ;  and  though,  too,  at 
our  little  mess  that  day,  the  effect  of  the  lasso,  only  the 


SIR    DENIS    PACK.  351 

week  before,  most  murderously  used  against  a  quiet  and 
unarmed  soldier  of  the  71st  regiment,  had  been  much  spoken 
of,  and  it  was  agreed  a  knife  was  the  best  possible  defence 
against  it,  yet  we  had  not  the  precaution  even  to  take  one 
with  us.  It  may  be  fair,  also,  to  remark,  that  we  had  been 
told  at  Buenos  Ayres  (when  in  our  possession),  that  it  was  by 
no  means  safe  to  go  about  unarmed  and  alone  in  the  country ; 
as  the  probability  was  we  should  meet  some  one  who  would 
commit  murder  for  so  triflng  a  thing  as  a  pocket-handker- 
chief, if  an  opportunity  offered  to  do  it  with  impunity  ;  and 
we  had  been  often  cautioned,  since  our  arrival  at  Luxau,  not 
to  go  out  so  unguardedly  as  almost  all  of  us  did. 

"  We  took  the  road  to  Buenos  Ayres,  which  we  were 
accustomed  to  do,  in  nopes  of  hearing  something  of  our 
friends,  (the  British  troops,)  who  we  knew  were  then  in  the 
river;  and  entered,  as  usual,  on  the  subject  next  our  heart, 
the  probable  means  of  getting  to  them,  and  which  we  thought 
every  moment  made  of  more  consequence.  We  soon  fell  in 
with  a  Creole  coming  from  Las  Couchas,  with  whom  we  dis- 
coursed some  time;  and,  on  his  leaving  us,  observed  another 
from  our  village  accost  him  as  we  had  done,  and  afterwards 
follow  in  a  direction  as  if  to  overtake  us. 

"  Poor  Ogilvie  had  acquired  the  idiom  of  the  language 
completely,  and  used,  by  his  good  humour  and  manner,  ap- 
parently to  gain  the  esteem  and  good  wishes  of  those  he  con- 
versed with  ;  and  at  that  time  less  than  at  any  other  avoided 
communicating  with  any,  hoping  thereby  to  meet  some  friend 
inclined  to  forward  our  views  of  escape.  We  were  one  mile 
off  the  public  road,  as  I  suppose,  and  about  two  from  the 
village;  I  had  dismounted  to  substitute  something  for  a 
stirrup  I  had  lost,  and  Ogilvie  began  to  chat  with  the  new 
comer.  On  my  joining  them,  he  said,  ;  This  man  has  been 
telling  me  an  odd  incoherent  kind  of  story :  amongst  other 
things,  that  he  came  from  Buenos  Ayres  to-day,  and  brought 
letters  for  the  General  from  a  lady  there ;  that  he  was  afraid 
to  take  them  to  him  in  the  village,  for  the  Christians  (meaning 
the  Spaniards)  would  kill  him  if  they  discovered  it ;  but  that 


352  SIR    DENIS    PACK. 

he  could  have  them  by  riding  a  little  way  further,  where  he 
left  them  in  charge  of  a  black  man/ 

"  The  sun  was  setting,  and  warned  us  to  return,  but  some- 
thing in  the  fellow's  countenance  recommended  him ;  and 
hoping  he  might  prove  to  be  really  a  person  in  our  interest, 
I  encouraged  the  idea  of  going  forward ;  and  we  accordingly 
proceeded.  Having  galloped  about  a  mile  with  him,  he 
pointed  to  some  cattle,  about  which  place  he  said  the  person 
with  the  letters  was,  and  I  thought  I  could  perceive  a  man 
moving  amongst  them ;  but,  on  getting  to  a  water-course 
nearer  to  the  spot,  and  not  seeing  him,  we  determined  not  to 
go  further,  but  said  we  should  wait  some  little  time  for  his 
return,  if  he  crossed  over  to  his  friend.  This  he  assented  to, 
and  rode  up  the  side  of  the  water,  as  if  to  find  a  pass,  or  get 
his  friend  over  to  him  by  his  whistling  and  hallooing.  He 
dismounted  for  a  few  seconds  ;  I  thought,  perhaps*  to  lead  his 
horse,  or  girt  his  saddle ;  but  after  adjusting  something  which 
I  am  now  persuaded  was  his  pistol,  he  again  mounted  and 
rode  to  us,  saying  the  man  was  coming.  As  he  approached 
I  passed  close  to  him,  going  to  the  place  he  had  left,  having 
remarked  to  Ogilvie,  who  remained  on  the  look-out  behind, 
that  I  could  not  see  any  one.  I  had  scarcely  got  twenty  paces 
from  the  spot  we  were  on,  when  I  heard  a  shot,  and,  turning 
round,  saw  the  ruffian  with  a  pistol  reversed  and  uplifted 
to  strike  at  Ogilvie  on  the  head.  He  was  a  little  behind  his 
left  shoulder,  having  gained  that  position  before  he  fired ; 
and  Ogilvie  appeared  quite  helpless,  with  his  arms  extended, 
and  the  reins  of  the  bridle  fallen  from  his  hands.  The  first 
idea  that  occurred  to  me  was  to  endeavour  to  seize  the  pistol, 
and  I  directly  rode  at  the  fellow  with  that  intent.  Seeing  me 
advance,  he  instantly  dropped  it  to  a  fastening  in  the  saddle ; 
and,  drawing  a  sword,  struck  at  me,  but  so  awkwardly  as 
only  to  cut  my  jacket ;  and  observing  me  put  my  hand  in  my 
bosom,  he  thought  I  believe,  as  I  hoped  he  would,  it  was  to 
search  for  some  arms,  and  immediately  sheered  off  to  the 
distance  of  two  hundred  paces,  when  I  got  clear  of  him.  I 
found  Ogilvie  on  foot,  and  he  recommended  to  me  also  to  dis- 


SIR    DENIS    PACK.  353 

mount ;  but  on  his  telling  me  he  was  not  in  the  least  hurt,  I 
strongly  urged  our  trusting  to  our  horses  to  take  us  to  our 
village.  My  reasons  prevailed  :  I  assisted  him  to  mount,  and 
we  set  out :  Ogilvie  again  assuring  me  he  was  not  hurt.  But 
we  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when  he  complained  of  a 
pain  in  his  side,  which  obliged  us  to  slacken  our  pace.  Still 
he  did  not  seem  to  entertain  the  most  distant  idea  of  his  being- 
struck  by  the  shot ;  and  1  really  conceived  the  pain  proceeded 
from  a  wound  he  received  at  Buenos  Ayres,  which  I  knew  was 
not  perfectly  healed  up ;  and  as  it  certainly  was  given  treacher- 
ously (the  person  afterwards  boasted  of  the  exploit),  and  has 
sometimes  been  confounded  with  this  story,  I  think  it  well 
here  briefly  to  mention  the  circumstance. 

"  On  the  10th  of  August,  when  M.  Liniers  first  advanced 
and  took  a  position  in  the  suburbs  of  Buenos  Ayres,  two 
guns  were  ordered  down  the  street,  then  quiet,  and  the  inha- 
bitants walking  in  it.  Ogilvie  accompanied  them ;  and  on 
returning  a  little  time  after,  by  himself,  towards  the  fort,  a 
man,  dressed  as  a  gentleman,  attempted  to  startle  his  horse, 
by  stepping  before  him,  and  shaking  his  cloak  at  him,  whilst 
another,  of  the  same  appearance,  ran  out  out  of  a  house  be- 
hind, and  stabbed  at  Ogilvie  with  a  sword,  inflicting  a  very 
ugly  wound  immediately  over  his  loins. 

"  I  now  proceed  to  state,  that  on  looking  round  I  could 
plainly  perceive  the  fellow  was  winding  his  lasso,  and  pre- 
paring to  follow  us ;  and  as,  as  I  have  said,  we  slackened  our 
pace,  he  came  up  with  us  very  fast.  As  the  fellow  advanced 
lie  seemed  to  fix  his  eye  on  Ogilvie,  and,  when  at  a  proper 
distance,  threw  the  lasso  at  him,  which  he  avoided  by  suddenly 
•stopping  his  horse.  Thinking  it  a  favourable  moment  to  lay 
hold  of  the  villain,  I  rode  at  him,  and,  though  he  went  off  at 
full  speed,  I  at  one  time  got  so  close  to  him  as  to  grasp  at  a 
knife,  carried,  as  is  usual  in  South-America,  in  his  girdle. 
Missing  it,  I  turned  to  Ogilvie,  pursuing  the  direction  home ; 
but  as  we  went  slowly,  for  the  reason  before  assigned,  the 
fellow  soon  got  in  readiness,  and  again  advanced  upon  us. 
I  was  now  a  little  in  the  rear,  and  he  chose  me  for  his  object 

VOL.  VIII.  A  A 


SIR    DENIS    PACK. 

of  attack,  I  watched  for  the  instant  of  his  throwing  the 
lasso  to  draw  in  my  horse ;  but  I  did  not  do  so  with  a  great 
deal  of  dexterity,  and  got  a  little  entangled,  and  was  dis- 
mounted, owing  in  a  great  measure  to  my  having  but  one 
stirrup. 

"  We  were  now  pretty  near  the  village,  and  two  men  most 
opportunely  made  their  appearance  at  the  instant,  in  front, 
and  coming  towards  us.  The  fellow  went  off,  immediately  on 
throwing  the  lasso,  at  a  hand-gallop,  as  is  customary ;  and,  as 
he  did  before,  to  the  distance  of  about  two  hundred  paces. 
Poor  Ogilvie  had  stopped  to  support  me,  and  we  thus  re- 
mained in  suspense  as  to  their  proving  friends  or  foes.  They 
soon  joined  us,  which  occasioned  the  fellow  to  take  himself 
off  altogether.  But  I  should  have  stated,  that  Ogilvie  told 
me  he  heard  the  villain  mutter  something  about  money  as  he 
went  off  the  last  time ;  and,  when  he  fired  the  pistol  at  him, 
he  distinctly  heard  a  Spanish  expression,  generally,  he  said, 
used  by  such  ruffians  when  their  determination  was  murder. 

66  One  of  our  friends  was  a  Blackamoor,  who  immediately 
went  in  search  of  my  horse.  The  other,  a  Creole  inhabitant 
of  the  village,  remained,  and  to  his  utmost  assisted  poor 
Ogilvie,  who  now  complained  dreadfully  of  his  breathing. 
Still  he  was  certain  he  was  not  wounded,  remarking  to  me 
that  he  was  sure  there  was  no  ball  in  the  pistol,  and  begged  I 
would  satisfy  myself  by  examining  his  jacket.  I  did  so,  and 
found  the  back  of  it  burned,  and  a  shot-hole,  from  which  blood 
issued,  just  under  the  shoulder-blade.  From  the  direction  of 
it  I  could  not  entertain  a  hope,  almost,  but  it  would  prove  a 
mortal  wound.  I  allowed  him,  however,  to  continue  in  de- 
ception, only  entreating  him  to  exert  himself  to  get  home. 
With  the  aid  of  our  friend  1  got  him  once  more  on  horseback, 
and,  with  considerable  difficulty,  gained  a  house  at  the  edge 
of  the  village,  where  I  knew  he  would  be  safe.  There  I  left 
him,  and  rode  as  fast  as  I  could  for  Mr.  Evans,  the  assistant 
surgeon  of  the  71st  regiment,  by  whose  direction  he  was 
carried  quietly  home  in  a  chair,  and  by  whom  he  was  after- 
wards carefully  attended.  From  the  moment  of  his  examining 


SIR    DENIS    PACK.  355 

the  wound  he  expressed  much  apprehension  of  the  result ; 
saving,  what  fatally  proved  true,  that  he  feared  the  lungs  were 
severely  wounded ;  and  though  afterwards  extraordinarily 
favourable  symptoms  appeared,  the  surgeon  never  raised  our 
hopes ;  though  we  did  flatter  ourselves,  from  the  favourable 
opinion  qf  others,  that  he  would  recover ;  —  so  much  so,  that 
I  could  not  now  easily  describe  the  grief  and  disappointment 
of  our  little  party  at  his  death. 

"  He  survived  fourteen  days ;  and  though  he  breathed  with 
difficulty,  yet  he  seemed  to  suffer  little  pain,  and  died  almost 
without  a  struggle ;  suffocated,  as  was  supposed,  by  some 
discharge  of  the  wound  internally.  During  his  illness  he  was 
watched  over  and  enquired  after,  by  his  brother-officers,  with 
the  most  anxious  and  affectionate  solicitude.  But  to  their 
kind  attention  though  he  seemed  perfectly  alive,  yet  to  none 
of  us  did  he  express  a  worldly  wish,  save  those,  often  repeated, 
for  the  success  of  His  Majesty's  arms. 

"  He  was  interred  with  all  possible  respect,  close  to,  and 
at  the  back  of  the  wall  of  the  church  of  Luxau.  General 
Beresford  read  the  service.  And  we  did  hope  it  would  have  soon 
been  in  our  power  to  have  raised  a  monument  over  him.  The 
ceremony  was  one  of  the  most  melancholy  I  recollect  to  have 
ever  witnessed.  None  but  unfortunate  prisoners  attended ; 
but  it  is  only  justice  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  to  state 
that  all  seemed  to  share  in  our  grief —  none  more  so  than  the 
worthy  clergyman  of  it ;  and  indeed,  as  far  as  I  could  learn, 
all  ranks  in  the  country,  and  at  Buenos  Ayres,  heard  with 
shame  and  horror  the  account  of  his  death.  At  the  same 
time  I  must  also  say,  there  were  not  wanting  those  who  cir- 
culated false  and  scandalous  reports  respecting  the  manner 
of  it." 

Soon  after  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pack's  return  to  the  British 
army  at  Monte  Video,  he  was  detached  with  a  small  force  to 
Colonia,  where  he  commanded  successfully  in  two  actions.  In 
the  first,  which  took  place  on  the  22d  of  April,  1807,  his  post 
was  attacked  by  the  enemy,  a  thousand  strong.  They  were 

A  A  2 


356  SIR    DENIS   PACK. 

soon,  however,  repelled  by  this  gallant  officer  and  his  brave 
troops,  who  pursued  them  to  the  village  of  Real,  about  three 
miles  from  the  town,  without  the  loss  of  a  man.  Of  the 
second  action,  which  occurred  on  the  7th  of  June,  the  follow- 
ing dispatch  from  Lieutenant-General  Whitelock  (who  had 
succeeded  Sir  Samuel  Auchmuty  in  the  chief  command),  with 
the  annexed  report  from  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pack  to  Lieute- 
nant-General Whitelock,  Lieutenant-General  Whitelock's 
reply,  and  the  general  orders  that  were  issued  on  the  occasion 
will  give  the  best  idea  :  — 

«  Sir,  Monte  Fideo,  June  2<2d,  1807. 

"  I  have  to  acquaint  you,  for  the  information  of  His  Royal 
Highness  the  Commander- in- Chief,  that  on  my  arrival  here, 
I  found  that  Brigadier-General  Sir  Samuel  Auchmuty  had, 
with  much  judgment,  placed  a  detachment,  consisting  of  six 
companies  of  the  40th  regiment,  the  light  infantry  battalion, 
and  three  companies  of  the  rifle  corps,  with  a  squadron  of  the 
9th  light  dragoons,  at  Colonia  de  Sacramento,  (a  port  and 
harbour  on  the  north  side,  immediately  opposite  to  Buenos 
Ayres,)  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  a  check  upon  the  motions 
of  the  enemy  in  that  quarter.  Soon  after  my  arrival,  I  sent 
the  remainder  of  the  40th  regiment  to  reinforce  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Pack,  in  consequence  of  the  enemy  having  assumed 
a  more  formidable  shape,  and  from  the  arrival  of  several 
detachments  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  with  the 
view  of  cutting  off  his  communication  with  the  country,  and, 
eventually,  attacking  him.  They  collected  for  this  purpose 
to  the  amount  of  about  two  thousand  men,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Major-General  Ellis,  an  officer  lately  arrived  from 
Spain  ;  and  Lieutenant- Colonel  Pack,  with  a  promptitude 
and  zeal  whiqh  has  invariably  marked  his  conduct,  determined 
to  attack  him  ;  the  particulars  of  which  event  are  detailed  in 
the  enclosed  letter  from  the  Lieutenant-Colonel,  in  transmit- 
ting which,  I  cannot  refrain  from  particularly  recommending 
this  gallant  officer  to  the  favourable  notice  of  His  Royal 


SIR    DENIS    PACK.  35r/ 

Highness,  for  the  conduct  displayed  by  him  and  the  troops 
wider  his  command  on  the  present  occasion. 

(Signed)         "  J.  WHITELOCK. 
"  To  Lieutenant-Colonel  Gordon." 

"  Sir,  «  Colonia,  June  Sth,  1807. 

"  Having  obtained  information  on  Saturday  evening  last 
that  the  enemy  had  taken  post  at  St.  Pedro,  twelve  miles 
from  this,  I  resolved  upon  moving  to  attack  him,  and  com- 
menced my  march  accordingly  at  three  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  with  a  force  amounting  to  1013,  rank  and  file, 
leaving  the  garrison  under  the  command  of  Major  Pigot,  of 
the  9th  light  dragoons.  9  We  arrived  at  St.  Pedro  at  seven 
o'clock,  and  found  the  enemy  strongly  posted  on  an  eminence, 
with  his  front  and  flanks  secured  by  a  deep  and  marshy  river, 
over  which  there  was  only  one  pass,  scarcely  practicable,  and 
that  defended  by  four  six-pounders,  and  two  howitzers.  The 
bravery  of  the  troops,  however,  soon  overcame  all  difficulties  : 
they  crossed  the  fofd,  reduced  to  a  front  of  less  than  sections, 
many  up  to  their  middles,  and  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the 
artillery.  After  effecting  the  passage  the  troops  formed  and 
advanced  to  the  attack  without  firing  a  shot.  The  enemy's 
cavalry  soon  gave  way;  but  the  infantry,  to  my  surprise, 
stood  until  we  approached  within  thirty  paces,  when  they 
fled  in  disorder,  throwing  away  their  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion, and  leaving  us  in  possession  of  their  guns  and  camp, 
with  one  standard  and  105  prisoners,  including  one  lieute- 
nant-colonel, and  five  other  officers.  Had  it  been  possible  to 
bring  our  guns  and  cavalry  across  the  ford,  I  am  confident 
that  we  should  have  taken  or  destroyed  the  whole  force  of  the 
enemy,  which  consisted  of  upwards  of  2000  men.  'f  he  chief 
loss  fell  on  the  40th  regiment,  which  corps  supported  most 
gallantly  its  well-established  character  ;  and,  indeed,  the 
bravery  evinced  by  the  whole  of  the  troops  in  the  affair 
merits  my  warmest  commendation*  I  herewith  enclose  you 
a  return  of  the  killed  and  wounded ;  and  I  am  sorry  to  add, 
that  from  the  unfortunate  explosion  of  two  ammunition-wag- 

A  A  3 


358  SIR    DENIS    PACK. 

gons  (taken  from  the  enemy),  which  it  was  necessary  to  destroy 
after  the  action  was  over,  Major  Gardner  (a  most  deserving 
officer)  and  fourteen  of  the  rifle  corps  were  severely  "wounded. 
"  I  have  to  acknowledge  the  most  zealous  assistance  from 
Captain  Cockburn  (Assistant  Adjutant-General)  at  all  times, 
particularly  in  the  affair  of  yesterday. 

"  I  have,  &c. 
(Signed)         "  D,  PACK, 
"Lieutenant-Colonel  71st  Regiment. 
"  To  Lieutenant-General  Whitelock,  Commander  of  His 
Britannic  Majesty's  forces  at  Monte  Video." 

"Sir,  "Monte  Video,  June  Wtk,  1807. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
dispatch  of  the  8th  instant ;  and  I  lose  no  time  in  communi- 
cating to  you  my  warmest  approbation  of  the  zeal  and  decision 
•which  suggested  the  idea  of  attacking  the  enemy  at  St.  Pedro, 
as  well  as  of  the  distinguished  gallantry  which  marked 
your  conduct,  and  that  of  the  troops,  under  your  com- 
mand, in  the  execution  of  the  same.  I  can  say  nothing 
stronger  to  convince  you  how  highly  I  appreciate  the  bravery 
of  this  action,  than  what  is  detailed  in  the  orders  of  this  day, 
and  shall  only  repeat  that  such  a  representation  shall  be  made 
to  His  Majesty's  ministers  of  the  transaction,  as  cannot  fail  to 
call  forth  every  degree  of  approbation  which  the  conduct  of 
yourself  and  the  troops  under  your  orders  so  highly  merits. 

(Signed)         "  J.  WHITELOCK. 
"To  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pack,  71st  Regiment." 

GENERAL  ORDERS. 

"  Monte  Video,  10th  June,  1807. 

"  The  Commander  of  the  forces  congratulates  the  army 
upon  a  brilliant  achievement  performed  by  the  troops  at 
Colonia,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Pack ;  who,  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  instant,  attacked  the 
enemy  in  a  very  strong  position,  twelve  miles  from  Colonia, 
and  with  a  spirit  becoming  British  soldiers,  destroyed,  cap- 


Sill    DENIS    PACK.  359 

lured,  and  put  to  flight  double  their  numbers,  and  returned  to 
Colonia  with  the  whole  of  the  enemy's  guns.  The  enemy 
were  repulsed  with  the  loss  of  120  men  killed,  and  a  great 
many  wounded,  leaving  in  our  possession  a  standard,  six 
pieces  of  cannon,  near  300  stand  of  arms,  a  quantity  of  am- 
munition and  ordnance-stores,  and  105  prisoners;  amongst 
whom  were  one  lieutenant-colonel,  one  major,  two  captains, 
and  two  lieutenants.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pack  spoke  in  the 
highest  terms  in  praise  of  the  troops  generally  who  were  em- 
ployed on  this  occasion :  a  small  detachment  of  artillery,  under 
the  command  of  Lieutenant  Shepherd;  a  detachment  of  the 
9th  light  dragoons,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Carmi- 
chael;  rifle  corps,  under  the  command  of  Major  Gardner; 
light  battalion  under  the  command  of  Major  Trotter ;  and 
the  40th  regiment,  under  the  command  of  Major  Campbell. 
Upon  this  occasion  some  loss  must  naturally  be  expected ; 
but  considering  the  superiority  of  the  enemy's  numbers,  what 
we  have  suffered  is  not  considerable,  being  two  men  killed,  and 
SO  wounded.  The  Commander  of  the  forces  cannot  close 
the  above  orders  of  the  day,  without  expressing  his  marked 
approbation  of  the  bravery  displayed  on  this  occasion  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Pack  and  the  officers  and  men  under  his 
command,  which  sentiments  shall  be  conveyed  by  the  earliest 
opportunity  to  England,  when  he  is  persuaded  that  His  Ma- 
jesty and  the  country  will  duly  appreciate  merit  of  this  de- 
scription." 

By  some  accident  or  other  the  foregoing  dispatch  was  not 
received  by  His  Majesty's  government  until  after  the  dis- 
astrous close  of  the  operations  of  the  British  army  in  South 
America,  and  the  return  of  the  troops  to  England.  The  con- 
sequence was  that  the  dispatch  never  appeared  in  the  Gazette. 
With  the  laudable  sensibility  of  a  gallant  soldier  towards  his 
own  honour  and  that  of  his  brave  troops,  Lieutenant- Colonel 
Pack,  nearly  two  years  afterwards,  applied,  although  not  in  a 
formal  manner,  to  His  Majesty's  government  on  the  subject. 
The  following  is  the  correspondence  which  took  place  on  the 
occasion : — 

A  A  4 


360  SIR    DENIS    PACK. 

"My  dear  Sir,  "  London,  March  29tfi,  1809. 

"  As  it  is  possible  the  transaction  to  which  the  enclosed 
papers  refer  has  been  hitherto  withheld  from  the  public  on 
political  grounds,  I  take  the  liberty  of  requesting,  through 
you,  to  be  informed  if  there  is  any  objection  on  the  part  of 
government  to  its  being  inserted  in  the  history  of  the  events 
of  the  year,  or  otherwise  to  be  recorded.  To  you,  my  dear 
Sir,  than  whom  no  one  can  be  more  alive  to  the  feelings  of  a 
soldier,  I  need  not  explain  that,  next  to  the  service  of  his  coun- 
try, a  laudable  ambition  for  fame  is  a  main  spring  of  exertion ; 
and  in  my  desire  thus  far  to  do  justice  to  the  gallant  troops 
engaged  at  St.  Pedro,  I  hope  I  shall  not  be  thought  to  claim 
unmerited  credit  for  them,  or  for  myself. 

"  I  have,  &c. 
"  D.  PACK,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

"  To  Brigadier-General  the  Honourable  Charles  Stewart." 

"My  dear  Sir,  "  Dowjiing  Street,  March  30th. 

"  I  am  favoured  with  your  letter  and  enclosures,  which  I 
have  submitted  to  Lord  Castlereagh.  The  account  of  the 
brilliant  affair  which  you  mentioned  was  not  received  at  Lord 
Castlereagh's  office  until  some  time  after  the  surrender  of 
Monte  Video,  and  the  return  of  the  British  army  from  South 
America.  Lord  Castlereagh  directs  me  to  state,  that  there 
can  be  no  objection  to  your  making  public,  in  any  manner  you 
deem  expedient,  the  account  of  an  action  in  which  the  British 
troops  behaved  with  so  much  gallantry,  and  in  which  you 
bore  so  conspicuous  a  part. 

"  Believe  me,  my  dear  Sir,  most  faithfully  yours, 

(Signed)         "  CHARLES  STEWART. 
"  To  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pack." 

Shortly  after  the  attack  of  St.  Pedro,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Pack  was  appointed,  by  Lieutenant-General  Whitelock,  to  the 
command  of  all  the  light  companies  in  his  army,  and  joined  the 
force  then  in  the  river  Plate,  destined  to  act  against  Buenos 
Ay  res.  He  was  also  engaged  in  two  successful  actions  with 


SIR   DENIS    PACK.  361 

the  enemy  previous  to  the  unfortunate  attack  on  the  town,   in 
which  he  was  three  times  wounded. 

Towards  the  end  of  1807,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pack  re- 
turned to  Europe.  Early  in  1808,  he  had  the  71st  regiment 
completely  re-equipped  in  men ;  again  embarked  at  Cork  on 
the  expedition  to  Portugal  under  the  Duke  of  Wellington, 
then  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley,  and  was  in  the  battles  of  Roleia 
and  Vimiera,  on  the  17th  and  21st  of  August,  in  that  year. 
The  Duke  of  Wellington,  in  his  official  dispatch  respecting 
the  latter  action,  particularly  speaks  of  the  71st  regiment. 
After  observing  that  the  impetuous  attack  of  the  French 
infantry,  supported  by  a  large  body  of  cavalry,  was  received 
with  steadiness  by  Major-General  Ferguson's  brigade,  of  the 
three  regiments  composing  which  the  71st  was  one,  and  that 
that  brigade,  having  charged,  drove  the  enemy  back,  with 
great  loss  in  killed  and  wounded,  and  took  from  them  six 

pieces  of  cannon  and  many  prisoners,  the  dispatch  thus  pro- 
ceeds : — 

"  The  enemy  afterwards  made  an  attempt  to  recover  a  part 
of  his  artillery  by  attacking  the  7 1  st  and  82d  regiments,  which 
were  halted  in  a  valley  in  which  it  had  been  taken.  These 
regiments  retired  from  the  low  grounds  in  the  valley  to  the 
heights,  where  they  halted,  faced  about,  fired,  and  advanced 
upon  the  enemy,  who  had  by  this  time  arrived  in  the  low 
ground,  and  they  thus  obliged  them  to  retire  with  great  loss." 

In  a  subsequent  part  of  the  dispatch,  "  the  71st  regiment, 
commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Pack,"  is  one  of  the  regi- 
ments to  which  His  Grace  remarks,  "it  is  but  justice  to  draw 
His  Majesty's  notice  in  a  particular  manner." 

Lieutenant- Colonel  Pack  marched  into  Spain,  under  Sir 
John  Moore,  and  was  in  the  affair  of  Lugo,  and  at  the 
battle  of  Corunna.  He  returned  to  England  in  January, 
1809,  and  embarked  in  June  of  the  same  year  for  Holland, 
under  Lord  Chatham.  On  the  landing  at  Walcheren,  he 
was  appointed  to  command  a  small  corps  of  cavalry  and  light 
infantry.  He  was  employed  in  the  siege  of  Flushing,  and 
particularly  named  by  General  Sir  Eyre  Coote  for  the  com- 


362  SIR    DENIS    PACK. 

mand  of  a  detachment  to  storm  one  of  the  enemy's  batteries 
which  advanced  upon  the  sea-dyke,  in  front  of  Lieutenant- 
General  Fraser's  position.  He  successfully  executed  his 
orders,  killing  and  wounding  a  great  many  of  the  enemy, 
taking  49  prisoners,  and  spiking  the  guns,  though  defended 
by  five  times  the  number  of  men  under  his  command.  After 
the  surrender  of  Flushing,  he  was  appointed  commandant 
of  Veer,  where  he  was  dangerously  ill  for  a  short  time,  but 
remained  until  the  island  was  evacuated  ;  on  which  occasion, 
in  conjunction  with  Commodore  Owen,  he  commanded  the 
rear-guard  of  the  army. 

Soon  after  the  return  of  the  71st  regiment  to  England,  in 
1810,  it  was  again  prepared  for  actual  service:  but  His  Ma- 
jesty's government  did  not  think  the  men  had  sufficiently  re- 
covered the  effects  of  the  Walcheren  fever  ;  and  being  himself 
extremely  anxious  to  see  the  interesting  campaign  then  about 
to.  commence  in  the  Peninsula,  Lieutenant- Colonel  Pack  ob- 
tained His  Majesty's  leave  to  proceed  to  Portugal,  and  offer 
his  services  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington  and  Marshal  Beres- 

D 

ford.  Both  those  Generals  being  of  opinion  that  he  could 
not  serve  them  more  usefully  than  with  the  Portuguese 
troops,  he  accepted  the  command  of  an  infantry  brigade  in 
that  service,  just  before  the  siege  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo  by 
Marshal  Massena,  previous  to  his  invasion  of  Portugal. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  1810,  he  was  appointed  aide-de-camp 
to  the  King,  which  gave  him  the  rank  of  Colonel  in  the  army. 

After  the  surrender  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo  and  Almeida, 
and  Marshal  Massena's  passage  of  the  Coa,  Colonel  Pack's 
brigade  (an  independent  one)  was  directed  to  take  a  separ- 
ate route,  with  a  regiment  of  cavalry  attached  to  it ;  and  it 
remained  in  presence  of  the  enemy's  army  at  St.  Combadoa, 
retiring  slowly  before  the  enemy  on  his  advance  to  the  position 
at  Busaco.  The  good  conduct  of  this  brigade  at  the  battle  of 
Busaco,  on  the  27th  of  September,  1810,  was  noticed  in  the 
official  dispatches  of  that  event.  In  the  admirable  retreat,  which 
was  afterwards  made  to  the  lines  of  Torres  Vedras  at  Lisbon, 
it  formed,  with  the  light  division  and  cavalry,  the  rear-guard 
of  the  allied  army. 


SIR    DENIS    PACK.  363 

The  71st  having  at  that  time  joined  the  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton, Colonel  Pack  wished  to  return  to  them,  as  he  had 
always  purposed  ;  but,  by  the  desire  of  both  commanders-in- 
chlef)  he  continued  to  serve  in  the  Portuguese  army. 

In  1811,  Colonel  Pack's  brigade  was  in  the  advanced 
guard  in  following  the  enemy  up  to  his  position  at  Santarem. 
It  was  at  the  outposts  there,  and  again  in  the  advance  on  the 
further  retreat  of  the  enemy  out  of  Portugal.  In  May,  of 
that  year,  this  brigade,  with  the  Queen's  regiment  from  the 
6th  division,  kept  the  blockade  of  Almeida. 

On  the  night  of  the  10th  of  May,  the  enemy,  under  Ge- 
neral Brennier,  abandoned  that  place,  and  marched  with 
great  rapidity,  by  unfrequented  paths,  to  the  bridge  over  the 
Angueda,  at  Barba  del  Puerco.  By  the  silence  and  close 
order  of  their  march,  they  eluded  the  vigilance  of  our  pic- 
quets  ;  but  Colonel  Pack,  with  a  few  men,  hung  upon  their 
rear,  and  impeded  their  progress  ;  so  that  Major  Campbell 
reached  Barba  del  Puerco  in  time  to  cause  the  enemy  a  very 
heavy  loss  in  killed  and  wounded. 

On  the  19th  of  January,  1812,  Colonel  Pack  was  at  the 
storming  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo.  His  brigade,  forming  the  5th 
column  which  attacked  the  place,  was  destined  to  make  a  false 
attack  upon  the  southern  face  of  the  fort ;  "  but,"  says  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  in  his  dispatch,  dated  Gallegos,  20th  of 
January,  "  Brigadier-General  Pack  even  surpassed  my  ex- 
pectations, having  converted  his  false  attack  into  a  real  one ; 
and  his  advanced  guard,  under  the  command  of  Major  Lynch, 
having  followed  the  enemy's  troops  from  the  advanced  works 
into  the  Fausse  Braye,  where  they  made  prisoners  of  all  op- 
posed to  them."  In  a  subsequent  passage  of  the  dispatch, 
the  Duke  speaks  of  this  brigade  as  one  of  those  which  had 
distinguished  itself  during  the  operations  of  the  siege. 

On  the  10th  of  February,  1812,  parliamentary  thanks  were 
voted  to  the  captors  of  Ciudad  Rodrigo ;  in  which  Colonel 
Pack  was  mentioned  by  name. 

Colonel  Pack,  with  his  brigade,  marched  to  the  siege  of 
Badajoz;  and  was  in  active  operation  against  the  enemy  on 


364  SIR   DENIS    PACK. 

his  advance  to  the  Tagus,  and  subsequent  retreat  out  of 
Portugal.  He  moved  in  the  advanced  guard  on  the  inarch 
of  the  allies  to  Salamanca  and  the  Douro.  On  the  22d  of 
July,  1812,  at  the  battle  of  Salamanca,  Colonel  Pack  made 
a  very  gallant  attack  upon  the  Arapiles  ;  in  which,  however, 
he  did  not  succeed,  except  in  diverting  the  attention  of  the 
enemy's  troops  placed  upon  it,  from  the  troops  under  the 
command  of  Lieutenant-General  Cole,  in  his  advance.  He 
was  in  the  march  to,  and  capture  of  Madrid,  and  in  the 
march  to,  and  capture  of  Burgos.  Previously  to  the  siege, 
detachments  under  Colonel  Pack's  command  carried  by 
assault  the  horn-work  of  that  castle,  after  a  gallant  and  des- 
perate action ;  for  which  the  special  thanks  of  His  Royal 
Highness  the  Prince  Regent  and  the  Commander-in-Chief 
were  given  to  the  troops  through  the  Duke  of  Wellington. 

In  retreating  from  Burgos  in  1813,  Colonel  Pack's  brigade 
formed  the  rear-guardj  and  from  thence  to  the  frontier  of 
Portugal  was  very  frequently  in  presence  of  the  enemy.  In 
the  memorable  advance  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  into  Spain, 
and  the  passage  of  the  Ebro,  it  was  in  the  advanced  guard  of 
the  left  column  of  the  army,  under  Sir  Thomas  Graham. 

At  the  splendid  victory  obtained  at  Vittoria,  by  the  allied 
army,  on  the  2 1st  of  June,  181 3,  Colonel  Pack's  brigade  of 
infantry  composed  part  of  the  left  wing  of  the  army  under 
Sir  Thomas  Graham.  On  the  20th  of  June  he  had  marched 
to  Margina,  and  from  thence  moved  forward  to  Vittoria,  by 
the  high  road  from  that  town  to  Bilboa.  Colonel  Pack,  with 
his  Portuguese  brigade,  and  Colonel  Longa,  with  his  Spanish 
division,  gained  the  heights  covering  the  villages  of  Gamarra 
Maior,  Gamarra  Menor,  and  Abechucho ;  thus  intercepting 
the  enemy's  retreat  by  the  high  road  to  France.  On  the  23d 
he  assisted  and  flanked  Colonel  Halkett's  light  battalion, 
to  push  on  by  the  Chaussee  ;  and  this  service  was  performed 
in  the  most  gallant  style  by  his  brave  troops,  who  drove  the 
enemy  from  the  village  of  Veasyn.  The  enemy  having  troops 
ready  posted  on  the  succession  of  strong  heights  on  each 
side  of  the  deep  valley  at  the  bottom  of  which  the  road  runs, 


SIR    DENIS   PACK.  3f>5 

a  considerable  time  became  necessary  to  turn  his  flanks, 
during  which  he  evacuated  Villa  Franca  without  further 
dispute.  Colonel  Pack's  Portuguese  brigades,  on  the  right 
and  left  of  the  valley,  pushed  on  their  advance  to  Yehasurido ; 
and  the  troops  assembled  at  Villa  Franca.  On  the  25th, 
three  companies  of  the  4th  Cacadores,  belonging  to  Colonel 
Pack's  brigade,  and  two  companies  of  the  grenadiers  of  the 
1st  regiment,  drove  the  enemy  from  the  summit  of  an  im- 
portant hill  lying  between  the  Pampluna  and  Vittoria  roads. 

On  the  4th  of  June,  1813,  Colonel  Pack  had  the  brevet  of 
Major-General  conferred  upon  him. 

Shortly  after,  Major-General  Pack  was  appointed  to  the 
Highland  brigade,  in  the  6th  division.  The  division  itself, 
at  this  time,  for  a  shoft  period  fell  also  to  his  command. 
After  a  forced  march,  he  arrived  in  time  to  share  in  the 
victory  gained  by  the  Duke  of  Wellington  over  the  French 
under  Marshal  Soul t,  at  Pampluna,  on  the  20th  of  July,  1813, 
in  which  action  Major-General  Pack  was  severely  wounded 
in  the  head.  He  commanded  the  Highland  brigade  in  the 
passage  of  the  Nivelle,  and  advance  of  the  British  into  France  ; 
in  the  overthrow'  of  the  enemy  in  his  fortified  lines  before 
Bayonne ;  in  the  advance  to,  and  passage  of  the  Nive ;  in  the 
repulse  of  the  enemy's  attack  on  the  British  position  before 
St.  Jean  de  Luz ;  and,  though  not  actually  engaged,  he  was 
present  at  the  signal  defeat  of  the  enemy's  desperate  attack 
on  Lieutenant-General  Sir  Rowland  Hill's  corps,  on  the  13th 
of  December,  1813.  He  was  also  in  the  passage  of  the  Gave 
d'Oleron,  and  the  Gave  de  Pau ;  at  the  battle  of  Orthes,  on 
the  2  7th  of  February,  1814;  and  at  the  passage  of  the  Adour, 
at  St.  Seur. 

At  the  taking  of  Toulouse,  in  April,  1814,  Major-General 
Pack's  brigade  of  the  6th  division  carried  the  two  principal 
redoubts  and  fortified  houses  in  the  enemy's  centre.  The 
enemy  made  a  desperate  effort  to  regain  these  redoubts,  but 
were  repulsed  with  considerable  loss ;  and  the  6th  division 
continuing  their  movements,  the  enemy  were  driven  from 
two  redoubts  and  their  intrenchments  on  the  left;  and  the 


366  SIR    DENIS    PACK. 

whole  range  of  heights  remained  in  the  possession  of  the 
allied  army.  In  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  dispatch,  dated 
Toulouse,  12th  of  April,  1814,  Major-General  Pack  is  men- 
tioned as  one  of  the  officers,  "  whose  ability  and  conduct  he 
cannot  sufficiently  applaud/'  In  this  battle,  Major-General 
Pack's  brigade  had  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  officers,  and 
upwards  of  half  the  privates,  killed  or  wounded. 

From  his  first  joining  the  14th  light  dragoons,  to  the 
close  of  the  war  in  the  Peninsula,  Major-General  Pack  was 
constantly  employed.  He  purchased  all  his  commissions, 
was  never  on  half-pay,  and  never  was  absent  from  service  on 
any  duty  in  which  he  could  possibly  be  engaged.  In  the 
course  of  the  war  he  received  eight  wounds,  six  of  them 
rather  severe  ones;  was  frequently  struck  by  shot,  and  had 
several  horses  killed  and  wounded  under  him.  In  the  year 
1813,  the  order  of  the  Tower  and  Sword  was  presented  to 
him  by  the  King  of  Portugal ;  and  after  the  termination  of 
hostilities  he  was,  in  January,  1815,  created  a  Knight  Com- 
mander of  the  most  honourable  military  order  of  the  Bath  ; 
and  was  allowed  the  honour  of  wearing  a  cross  and  seven  clasps 
for  the  following  actions,  at  all  of  which  he  had  commanded 
troops,  and  had  been  personally  engaged  ;  viz.  Roleia, 
Vimiera,  Corunna,  Busaco,  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  Salamanca, 
Vittoria,  Pyrenees,  Nivelle,  Nive,  Orthes,  and  Toulouse. 

It  may  easily  be  supposed,  that  when  the  unexpected  return 
of  Buonaparte  to  France  from  Elba,  rendered  a  renewal  of 
hostilities  inevitable,  Sir  Denis  Pack  was  one  of  the  foremost 
in  resuming  active  duty.  In  the  field  of  Waterloo  he  ren- 
dered the  most  important  services.  On  the  1 5th  of  June, 
1815,  he  was  engaged  from  the  commencement  in  repelling 
the  attack  made  by  Buonaparte  at  Les  Quatre  Bras,  and  was 
one  of  the  general  officers  named  by  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
in  his  dispatch,  as  having  "  highly  distinguished  themselves ;" 
and  on  the  memorable  18th  of  June  his  conduct  was  so  satisfac- 
tory to  the  illustrious  hero  under  whom  he  served,  that  he  was 
particularly  mentioned  by  His  Grace,  for  His  Royal  Highness 
the  Prince  Regent's  approbation.  In  this  splendid  and  decisive 


SIR    DENIS    PACK.  367 

battle  Sir  Denis  Pack  was  once  more  wounded,  though 
slightly. 

In  August,  1815,  the  Emperor  of  Russia  conferred  on  him 
the  decoration  of  the  Second  Class  of  St.  Wladimir;  and  in 
the  following  month  the  Emperor  of  Austria  conferred  on  him 
the  order  of  Maria  Theresa. 

On  the  10th  of  July,  1816,  this  gallant  officer  married 
Elizabeth  Louisa,  eighth  child  and  fourth  daughter  of  George 
de  la  Poer  Beresford,  first  Marquis  of  Waterford,  and  sister 
of  Henry,  second  and  present  Marquis. 

On  the  17th  of  August,  1819,  he  was  appointed  Lieutenant- 
Governor  of  Plymouth  ;  and  on  the  13th  of  September,  1822, 
he  was  further  preferred  to  the  Colonelcy  of  the  84th  foot. 

Sir  Denis  Pack  died  «at  the  house  of  Lord  Beresford,  in 
Wimpole-  Street,  on  the  24th  of  July,  1823,  to  the  great  loss  of 
the  public,  as  well  as  of  his  private  friends  and  afflicted  family. 
As  soon  as  the  melancholy  intelligence  reached  Plymouth,  the 
colours  at  the  Citadel,  the  Dock- Yard,  Mount  Wise,  and  St. 
Nicholas's  Island,  as  well  as  of  all  the  ships  in  the  port,  were 
lowered  half-mast. 


368 


No.  XVIII. 
DAVID  RICARDO,  ESQ.  M.  P. 

IN  the  early  history  of  Mr.  Ricardo's  life  there  is  nothing, 
the  relation  of  which  would  be  likely  to  excite  either  attention 
or  interest.  His  father,  a  native  of  Holland,  and  of  very 
respectable  connections,  came  over  on  a  visit  to  this  coun- 
try, when  young,  and  preferring  it  to  his  own,  became  na- 
turalised, and  settled  here.  He  entered  the  Stock  Exchange ; 
and  being  a  man  of  good  natural  abilities,  and  of  the  strictest 
honour  and  integrity,  made  a  corresponding  progress ;  acquir- 
ing a  respectable  fortune,  and  possessing  considerable  influence 
within  the  circle  in  which  he  moved.  He  married,  and  was 
the  father  of  a  very  numerous  family,  of  which  David,  the 
subject  of  the  present  memoir,  was  the  third.  He  was  born 
on  the  19th  of  April,  1772;  and  in  point  of  education  had 
the  same  advantages  which  are  usually  allotted  to  those  who 
are  destined  for  a  mercantile  line  of  life.  When  very  young, 
he  was  sent  to  Holland.  His  father,  who  had  designed  him 
to  follow  the  same  business  in  which  he  was  engaged,  and 
whose  transactions  lay  chiefly  in  that  country,  sent  him  thither 
not  only  with  a  view  to  his  becoming  acquainted  with  it,  but 
also  that  he  might  be  placed  at  a  school  of  which  he  entertained 
a  very  high  opinion.  After  two  years'  absence  he  returned 
home,  and  continued  the  common  school-education  till  his 
father  took  him  into  business.  At  his  intervals  of  leisure 
he  was  allowed  any  masters  for  private  instruction  whom  he 
chose  to  have :  but  he  had  not  the  benefit  of  what  is  called  a 
classical  education ;  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  would  have 
been  a  benefit  to  him,  or  whether  it  might  not  have  led 
his  mind  to  a  course  of  study,  in  early  life,  foreign  to  those 
habits  of  deep  thinking,  which  in  the  end  enabled  him  to  de- 


DAVID    RICARDO,    ESQ.'  369 

velope  the  most  abstruse  and  intricate  subjects,  and  to  be 
the  author  of  important  discoveries,  instead  of  receiving  pas- 
sively the  ideas  of  others. 

It  is  not  true,  however,  as  has  been  more  than  insinuated, 
that  Mr.  Ricardo  was  of  very  low  origin,  and  that  he  had 
been  wholly  denied  the  advantages  of  education ;  a  reflec- 
tion upon  his  father  which  he  by  no  means  deserved.  The  latter 
was  always  in  affluent  circumstances,  most  respectably  con- 
nected, and  both  able  and  willing  to  afford  his  children  all  the 
advantages  which  the  line  of  life  for  which  they  were  destined 
appeared  to  require. 

In  the  early  years  of  Mr.  Ricardo  but  little  appeared  in  his 
intellectual  progress,  which  would  have  led  even  an  acute  ob- 
server to  predict  his  futufe  eminence.  But  after  having  seen 
him  attain  that  station,  they  who  have  passed  through  life  with 
him  from  his  boyish  days  now  bring  to  their  recollection 
circumstances,  which,  though  overlooked  as  trivial  at  the  time, 
serve  to  show  that  the  plentiful  harvest  was  the  natural  conse- 
quence of  a  genial  spring. 

In  very  early  life  he  was  remarkable  for  solidity  and  steadi- 
ness of  character.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  his  father  began 
to  employ  him  in  the  Stock  Exchange,  where  he  placed  great 
confidence  in  him,  and  gave  him  such  power  as  is  rarely 
granted  to  persons  considerably  older  than  himself.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  was  entrusted  with  the  care  of  two  of  his 
younger  brothers,  to  convey  them  to  Holland ;  and  neither  his 
father  nor  his  mother  felt  the  smallest  anxiety  for  the  charge 
which  was  confided  to  him.  When  young,  Mr.  Ricardo 
showed  a  taste  for  abstract  and  general  reasoning ;  and  though 
he  was  without  any  inducement  to  its  cultivation,  or  rather 
lay  under  positive  discouragement,  yet  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
and  twenty,  works  of  that  description  which  occasionally  occu- 
pied his  attention  afforded  him  amusement  and  cause  for  re 
flection.  Even  at  this  time  his  mind  disclosed  a  propensity  to 
go  to  the  bottom  of  the  subjects  by  which  it  was  attracted,  and 
he  showed  the  same  manly  and  open  adherence  to  the  opinions 

VOL.  vm.  B  B 


DAVID    R1CARDO,   ESQ. 

which  he  had  deliberately  formed,  and  the  same  openness  to 
conviction  which  distinguished  his  maturer  years. 

His  father  was  a  man  of  good  intellect,  but  uncultivated. 
His  prejudices  were  exceedingly  strong;  and  they  induced 
him  to  take  the  opinions  of  his  forefathers  in  points  of  religion, 
politics,  education  &c.,  upon  faith,  and  without  investigation. 
Not  only  did  he  adopt  this  rule  for  himself,  but  he  insisted  on 
its  being  followed  by  his  children ;  his  son,  however,  never 
yielded  his  assent  on  any  important  subject,  until  after  he 
had  thoroughly  investigated  it.  It  was  perhaps  in  opposing 
these  strong  prejudices,  that  he  was  first  led  to  that  freedom 
and  independence  of  thought  for  which  he  was  so  remarkable, 
and  which  has  indeed  extended  itself  to  the  other  branches  of 
his  family. 

Soon  after  he  had  attained  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Mr. 
Ricardo  married;  and  this  threw  him  upon  his  own  re- 
sources, as  he  quitted  his  father  at  the  same  time.  The  ge- 
neral estimation  in  which  he  was  held  now  manifested  itself. 
All  the  most  respectable  members  of  the  Stock  Exchange 
came  forward  to  testify  the  high  opinion  they  entertained  of 
him,  with  their  eagerness  to  assist  him  in  his  undertakings. 

His  father's  name  stood  as  high  as  possible  for  honour  and 
integrity,  qualities  of  the  first  recommendation  in  a  field 
where  transactions  of  the  utmost  magnitude  rest  upon  them  as 
their  only  security.  Sharing  this  character  with  his  father, 
and  possessing  talents  and  other  excellent  qualities  which  had 
endeared  him  to  all,  he  embarked  with  the  fairest  prospect  of 
success.  This  success  answered  his  most  sanguine  expecta- 
tions ;  and  in  a  very  few  years,  certainly  not  wholly  without 
some  anxiety  at  first,  he  had  secured  to  himself  a  handsome 
independence.  During  this  time  his  mind  was  chiefly  occupied 
by  his  business ;  but  as  his  solicitude  for  its  success  lessened, 
he  turned  his  attention  to  other  subjects. 

At  this  time,  or  about  the  age  of  25,  by  the  example  and  in- 
stigation of  a  friend  with  whom  he  was  then  very  intimate, 
his  leisure  hours  were  devoted  to  some  of  the  branches  of 


DAVID    RICARDO,    ESQ.  371 

mathematics,  chemistry,  geology,  and  mineralogy.  He  fitted 
up  a  laboratory,  formed  a  collection  of  minerals,  and  was 
one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Geological  Society,  but  he 
never  entered  very  warmly  into  the  study  of  these,  subjects, 
and  his  interest  in  them  totally  vanished,  when  he  became 
deeply  involved  in  the  investigation  of  his  favourite  topic. 

The  talent  for  obtaining  wealth  is  not  held  in  much  estima* 
tion,  but  perhaps  in  nothing  did  Mr.  Ricardo  more  evince  his 
extraordinary  powers  than  he  did  in  his  business.  His  com- 
plete knowledge  of  all  its  intricacies  ;  his  surprising  quickness 
at  figures  and  calculation  ;  his  capability  of  getting  through, 
without  any  apparent  exertion,  the  immense  transactions  in 
which  he  was  concerned ;  his  coolness  and  judgment,  combined 
certainly  with  (for  him}  a  fortunate  tissue  of  public  events, 
enabled  him  to  leave  all  his  contemporaries  at  the  Stock  Ex- 
change far  behind,  and  to  raise  himself  infinitely  higher  not 
only  in  fortune,  but  in  general  character  and  estimation,  than 
any  man  had  ever  done  before  in  that  house.  Such  was  the 
impression  which  these  qualities  had  made  upon  his  competi- 
tors, that  several  of  the  most  discerning  among  them,  long  be- 
fore he  had  emerged  into  public  notoriety,  prognosticated,  in 
their  admiration,  that  he  would  live  to  fill  some  of  the  highest 
stations  in  the  state. 

It  was  not  till  Mr.  Ricardo  was  somewhat  advanced  in  life 
that  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  subject  of  political  economy. 
While  on  a  visit  at  Bath,  where  he  was  staying  for  the  benefit 
of  Mrs.  Ricardo's  health,  he  took  up,  and  read,  the  work  of 
Adam  Smith.  It  pleased  him ;  and  it  is  probable  that  the  sub- 
ject from  that  time  occupied,  with  the  other  objects  of  his  cu- 
riosity, a  share  of  his  thoughts,  though  it  was  not  till  some  years 
after  that  he  appeared  to  have  fixed  upon  it  much  of  his  attention. 

The  immense  transactions  which  he  had  with  the  Bank  of 
England,  in  the  course  of  business,  tallying  with  the  train  of 
study  on  which  he  was  then  engaged,  led  Mr.  Ricardo  to  re- 
flect upon  the  subject  of  the  currency,  to  endeavour  to  account 
for  the  difference  which  existed  between  the  value  of  the  coin 
and  the  Bank  notes,  and  to  ascertain  from  what  cause  the  depre- 

B  B  2 


DAVID    RICARDO,    ESQ. 

elation  of  the  latter  arose.  This  occupied  much  of  his  attention 
at  the  time,  and  it  formed  a  frequent  theme  of  conversation 
with  those  among  his  acquaintance  who  were  inclined  to  en- 
ter upon  it.  He  was  induced  to  put  his  thoughts  upon  paper, 
without  the  remotest  view  at  the  time  to  publication. 

The  late  Mr.  Perry,  proprietor  of  the  Morning  Chronicle, 
was  one  of  the  few  friends  to  whom  Mr.  Ricardo  showed 
his  manuscript.  Mr.  Perry  urged  him  to  allow  it  to  be 
published  in  the  Morning  Chronicle ;  to  which,  not  without 
some  reluctance,  Mr.  Ricardo  consented  ;  and  it  was  inserted 
in  the  shape  of  letters  under  the  signature  of  R.,  the  first  of 
which  appeared  on  the  6th  day  of  September,  1810.  These 
letters  produced  various  answers  ;  among  the  rest  was  one 
signed  by  "  A  Friend  to  Bank  Notes,  &c.,"  whom  Mr.  Ricardo 
soon  after  found  to  be  an  intelligent  friend  of  his  own  ;  and 
who,  from  being  a  warm  opponent  of  the  doctrines  of  Mr. 
Ricardo,  was  soon  transformed  into  a  complete  convert  to  them. 

The  interest  which  the  subject  excited  was  a  motive  with 
him  for  enlarging  upon  it,  and  publishing  his  views  very 
shortly  after,  in  the  form  of  a  pamphlet,  entitled  "  On  the  De- 
preciation of  the  Currency."  Many  were  the  publications 
which  this  elicited,  some  in  defence  of,  and  some  in  opposition 
to  it.  To  one  by  Mr.  Bosanquet  he  replied,  but  not  so  much 
with  a  view  to  refute  the  arguments  which  that  gentleman 
advanced,  as  to  give  still  further  and  stronger  support  to 
opinions  which  he  thought  of  great  practical  utility.  Some 
time  after,  the  late  Mr.  Horner  brought  the  question  before 
Parliament,  and  obtained  a  committee  to  investigate  the  sub- 
ject ;  the  result  of  the  inquiry  was  a  confirmation  of  Mr.  Ri- 
cardo's  doctrines.  The  famous  Bullion  Report  coincided  main-* 
ly  with  his  pamphlet ;  and  the  facts  elicited  from  the  evidence 
collected  by  the  Committee  afforded  practical  illustrations  of 
the  accuracy  of  his  speculation. 

By  some,  the  credit  of  originating  the  bullion  question  is 
given  to  Mr.  Horner ;  but  though  much  is  due  to  him  for  his 
patient  and  persevering  investigation  of  the  subject,  and  the 
very  able  mnnner  in  which  he  drew  up  the  report,  yet  to  Mr. 


DAVID    RICARDO,    ESQ.  373 

Ricardo  the  credit  of  developing  the  doctrine  of  money,  in  its 
present  perfect  state,  is  mainly  to  be  ascribed. 

Among  the  other  effects  of  this  pamphlet,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  it  should  have  been  the  means  of  introducing  Mr.  Ricardo 
to  a  number  of  first-rate  literary  characters.  His  society 
was  courted  by  many,  and  his  talents  were  duly  appre- 
ciated by  all  who  knew  him.  About  this  time,  too,  he  became 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Mill,  the  distinguished  author  of  "  The 
History  of  British  India ;"  an  acquaintance  which  ultimately 
grew  into  a  warm  and  sincere  attachment.  With  very  few 
exceptions, — perhaps  with  none,  —  Mr.  Mill  of  all  men  pos- 
sessed the  greatest  influence  over  him.  Mr.  Ricardo  always 
considered  him  as  a  man  of  the  first  intellectual  capacity;  and 
his  judgment,  his  discrimination,  and  his  opinion  had  greater 
weight  with  him  than  any  other  person's.  This  feeling  ap- 
peared to  be  mutual ;  and  the  opinion  which  Mr.  Ricardo  en- 
tertained of  Mr.  Mill,  it  was  easy  to  see,  was  equalled  by  the 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  friend. 

Mr.  Ricardo's  next  essay  was  on  Rent;  and  the  suggestions 
of  Mr.  Malthus,  who  had 'previously  written  upon  the  same 
subject,  were  followed  up  by  him  so  ably,  and  the  true  nature 
of  rent  was  so  admirably  expounded,  that  there  was  nothing 
further  left  for  explanation  upon  that  point. 

It  is  well  known  that  Mr.  Grenfell  for  some  time  had  been 
engaged,  as  a  member  of  parliament,  in  the  investigation  of  the 
affairs  of  the  Bank.  Mr.  Ricardo  took  great  interest  in  his 
proceedings.  As  his  reputation  was  now  high  as  a  writer  on 
the  subject  of  money,  he  was  urged  to  lend  his  aid  to  the 
work,  which  was  so  laudably  begun.  He  expressed  great  re- 
luctance, from  that  unfeigned  distrust  of  himself  with  which 
he  was  habitually  impressed ;  at  last  he  yielded  to  persuasion, 
and  his  masterly  exposition  of  the  affairs  of  the  Bank,  together 
with  his  proposal  for  an  economical  currency,  was  the  result. 
The  high  ascendency  which  the  Bank  directors  had  acquired 
over  the  great  mass  of  proprietors  of  Bank  stock  prevented 
those  few  who  wished  to  have  their  transactions  examined 
into  from  gaining  their  point.  Many  ineffectual  attempts  had 

BBS 


DAVID    RICA11DO,    ESQ. 

been  made  :  the  majority  of  proprietors  still  supported  the 
wish  of  the  directors  for  secrecy  ;  and  they,  shielding  them- 
selves behind  that  majority,  withheld  all  account  of  their  accu- 
mulated gains.  Mr.  Ricardo  took  a  view  of  their  various 
transactions  ;  showed  what  their  annual  savings  ought  to  have 
been  ;  and,  following  up  the  examination  to  the  time  at  which 
he  wrote,  clearly  pointed  out  to  what,  under  proper  manage- 
ment, their  accumulation  would  have  amounted. 

In  this  pamphlet,  Mr.  Ricardo  suggested  his  plan  for 
an  economical  currency.  If  there  was  any  suggestion  which 
emanated  from  him,  upon  which  he  seemed  to  pride  himself 
more  than  any  other,  it  was  certainly  this ;  and  his  wish  to  see 
it  brought  into  effect  at  the  time,  induced  him  to  step  out  of 
his  usual  course.  He  addressed  a  letter  to  Mr.  Perceval,  then 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  upon  the  subject ;  but  that  gen- 
tleman expressed  his  dissent  from  Mr.  Ricardo's  opinions,  and 
on  that  account  declined  adopting  his  advice. 

Mr.  Ricardo's  next  undertaking  was  his  work  on  the 
Principles  of  Political  Economy  and  Taxation,  —  a  work 
abounding  with  as  strong  marks  of  deep  thought,  and  masterly 
comprehension  of  a  difficult  subject,  as  any  that  was  ever 
published.  The  train  of  arguments  is  derived  from  a  few 
luminous  principles,  and  one  is  so  consequent  upon  another, 
that  the  work  cannot  be  examined  in  detail :  it  must  be  taken 
as  a  whole,  and  as  such,  its  conclusions  are  demonstrated  with 
almost  mathematical  precision.  Mr.  Ricardo  never  courted 
notoriety  :  at  first  he  shrunk  from  it,  not  so  much  because  he 
undervalued  it,  as  from  a  distrust,  which  not  even  success 
removed,  of  his  powers.  When  he  became  sensible  that  he 
was  held  in  some  estimation,  he  seemed  satisfied  with  what  he 
had  obtained,  and  was  unwilling  to  risk  it  by  a  desire  to  ac- 
complish more.  These  considerations^iade  him  very  reluctant, 
first  to  write,  and  afterwards  to  publish  this  work ;  and  it  was 
only  by  the  successive  urgings  of  some  of  his  most  confidential 
friends,  but  particularly  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Mill, 
that  he  was  at  length  prevailed  upon  to  do  so.  The  success 
which  followed  amply  compensated  him ;  and  this  book,  upon 


DAVID    RICARDO,    ESQ.  3J5 

a,  subject  which  had  heretofore  not  been  popular,  in  a  very 
short  time  passed  through  three  editions,  and  placed  the 
author  in  the  highest  rank  as  a  philosophical  writer. 

Mr.  Ricardo  had  now  wholly  retired  from  business,  with  an 
ample  fortune,  acquired  without  exciting  any  of  those  envious 
and  unpleasant  feelings  which  usually  attend  upon  those  who 
precede  their  competitors.  No  one  who  knew  him  ever  talked 
of  his  possessions  without,  at  the  same  time,  acknowledging 
that  he  had  earned  them  fairly,  and  was  worthy  of  them.  In 
the  year  1819  he  became  member  of  parliament  for  Port- 
arlington ;  and  perhaps  few  men,  in  so  short  a  time,  ever 
attained  such  influence,  and,  without  eloquence,  commanded 
such  attention  as  he  did  in  the  House  of  Commons.  He 
never  spoke  upon  any  subjects,  but  with  a  view  to  commu- 
nicate ideas  which  he  deemed  important ;  and  then  he  always 
spoke  to  the  point.  He  was  of  no  party ;  and  at  all  times 
advocated  such  principles  as  he  held  to  be  sound  and  true, 
whether  on  the  ministerial  or  the  opposition  side,  or  at  vari- 
ance with  both.  Attachment  to  party  has  generally  made 
that  neutral  station  a  place  of  contempt,  and  those  who  have 
taken  it  have  seldom  obtained  much  consideration.  Not  so  with 
Mr.  Ricardo  :  his  independence  was  truly  appreciated.  Not 
courting  popularity,  not  wanting  or  seeking  any  thing  from 
either  side  of  the  House,  he  stood  aloof,  and  claimed  the 
respect  and  admiration  of  both.  His  influence  and  his  self- 
confidence  were  gaining  ground.  Had  he  lived,  his  utility 
would  have  kept  pace  with  them.  As  it  is,  he  has  left  a  void 
in  the  House,  which  there  is  no  one  to  fill  up.  During  the 
session,  Mr.  Ricardo's  whole  time  was  devoted  to  his  duties 
as  a  member  of  parliament.  His  mornings  were  spent  in 
study,  in  receiving  visitors,  in  answering  correspondents,  or 
in  attendance  upon  some  committee  ;  and  in  the  evening  he 
never  missed  going  to  the  House.  During  the  recess,  he 
usually  retired  to  his  seat  at  Gatcomb  Park,  in  Gloucester- 
shire, where,  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  he  spent  his  time  in 
the  enjoyment  of  contributing  to  the  happiness  of  all  around 
him.  In  the  recess  of  1822  he  went  to  the  Continent; 

B  B  4 


376  DAVID    RICARDO,    ESQ. 

travelled  with  his  family  through  Holland,  Germany,  Switzer- 
land, and  Italy,  and  returned  home,  after  an  absence  of  five 
months,  through  France. 

Mr.  Ricardo  never  appeared  more  cheerful,  or  in  better 
health,  than  he  did  during  his  last  retirement  in  the  country, 
just  previous  to  his  death.  This  premature  event  was  oc- 
casioned by  an  affection  of  the  ear,  which  ultimately  extended 
itself  to  the  internal  part  of  the  head.  Mr.  Ricardo  had  for 
many  years  not  been  entirely  free  from  this  complaint,  of 
which  he  thought  but  slightly  ;  for  it  had  never  before 
occasioned  him  any  very  serious  inconvenience.  He  was  at- 
tended through  his  last  illness  by  one  of  his  brothers,  who  had 
retired  from  the  medical  profession,  and  who  was  then  on  a 
visit  to  him.  There  were  no  symptoms  that  could  excite  the 
smallest  anxiety  about  his  recovery,  till  a  very  short  time  before 
his  decease,  when  the  transition  was  sudden,  from  perfect  con- 
fidence to  complete  despair.  He  died  on  Thursday,  the  1 1th 
of  September,  1823,  surrounded  by  his  family,  wh'o  had  the 
misery  of  watching  him  throughout  a  whole  day  and  night, 
expecting  every  moment  to  be  his  last.  He  was  buried  at 
Hardenhuish.  The  church  and  bury  ing-ground  are  on 
the  estate  of  Mr.  T.  Clutterbuck,  Mr.  Ricardo's  son-in-law. 
It  was  always  his  wish  to  be  buried  in  the  most  private  man- 
ner, as  he  hated  any  thing  like  ostentation,  and  more  particu- 
larly on  such  an  occasion ;  he  was  therefore  followed  to  the 
grave  only  by  his  three  sons,  seven  brothers,  three  sons-in- 
law,  and  three  brothers-in-law.  Mr.  Hume,  M.  P.,  also 
attended,  at  his  own  particular  request. 

Mr.  Ricardo  has  left  behind  him  a  beloved  wife  and  *  seven 
children,  to  bemoan  the  loss  of  one  of  the  best  of  husbands, 
and  most  indulgent  of  fathers. 

High  as  has  been  the  testimony  publicly  borne  to  the  merits 
of  Mr.  R.  since  his  death,  it  has  not  exceeded  what  he 
deserved.  His  private  worth  kept  pace  with  those  public 
qualities  which  earned  him  so  great  an  estimation.  To  Intel- 

*   One  of  his  daughters  died,  shortly  after  her  marriage,  a  few  years  ago. 


DAVID   RICARDO,    ESQ.  377 

lectual  powers  of  the  first  order,  he  joined  a  candour,  a 
modesty,  a  diffidence,  which  never  allowed  him  to  assume  to 
himself  a  merit  which  he  felt  he  did  not  deserve ; — a  love  of 
justice  which  never  permitted  him  to  be  influenced  by  his 
feelings,  or  biassed  by  any  circumstances  that  might  divert 
him  from  doing  that  which  he  thought  strictly  right ;  —  a  dis- 
interestedness which  made  him  always  regardless  of  his  own 
personal  benefit,  in  the  maintenance  of  general  principles. 
When  a  Bank  proprietor,  he  argued  strenuously  and  warmly 
against  the  inordinate  gains  of  that  body ;  he  defended  the 
cause  of  the  fund-holders  when  he  had  ceased  to  be  one  ;  he 
was  accused  of  an  attempt  to  ruin  the  landed  interest  after 
he  became  a  large  landed  proprietor ;  and  while  a  member 
of  parliament,  he  advoc'ated  the  cause  of  reform,  which,  if 
adopted,  would  have  deprived  him  of  his  seat.  Superior  to 
the  misleading  power  of  self-interest,  his  aim  was  the  dissi- 
pation of  erroneous,  and  the  promulgation  of  true  and  correct 
principles,  the  adoption  of  which  should  tend  to  the  ameli- 
oration of  mankind,  and  the  production  of  the  greatest  possible 
good.  Such  was  Mr  .Ricardo  :  —  as  a  private  character  unex- 
celled ;  pre-eminent  as  a  philosopher ;  and  in  his  public  capa- 
city a  model  of  what  a  legislator  ought  to  be. 


No.  XIX. 
SIR  HENRY  RAEBURN,  R.  A. 

JL  HE  subject  of  the  present  memoir  may  be  considered  as 
the  founder  of  the  resident  school  of  Scottish  painting, 
Scotland  had  not  failed  to  produce  artists  of  eminence,  both 
in  history  and  portrait.  Among  the  latter,  Jameson,  called 
sometimes  the  Scottish  Vandyke,  and  Allan  Ramsay,  son  of 
the  poet,  hold  most  respectable  places.  Their  country,  how- 
ever, did  not  afford  patronage  adequate  to  their  merits ;  and 
they  were  obliged  to  seek  employment  and  dictinction  in 
the  sister  metropolis.  During  the  last  half  century,  however, 
the  progress  of  wealth  and  taste  led  to  a  sensible  improvement 
in  this  particular;  and  during  the  early  life  of  Mr.  Raeburn, 
David  Martin,  though  an  artist  of  only  secondary  talent,  and. 
not  to  be  compared  to  his  two  predecessors  in  the  art,  had 
obtained  very  considerable  employment  in  Edinburgh. 

Henry  Raeburn  was  born  on  tne  4th  March,  1 756,  and 
was  the  son  of  Mr.  William  Raeburn,  a  respectable  manu- 
facturer at  Stockbridge,  then  a  village  about  a  mile  distant 
from  Edinburgh,  though,  in  consequence  of  the  great  exten- 
sion of  that  city,  it  has  now  become  a  closely  contiguous 
suburb.  While  yet  a  child,  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
both  his  parents  ;  but  this  want  was  supplied  to  him,  as 
much  as  it  could  be,  by  his  elder  brother,  William,  who 
succeeded  to  the  business,  and  acted  to  him  always  the  part 
of  a  father.  We  understand  that  Sir  Henry,  during  his 
youthful  education,  did  not  discover  any  particular  propensity 
to  the  art  in  which  he  was  destined  so  remarkably  to  excel. 
It  was  only  observed,  at  the  class  of  arithmetic,  when  the  boys 
were  amusing  themselves  in  drawing  figures  on  their  slates, 
that  his  displayed  a  very  striking  superiority  to  those  of  the 


SIR    HENRY    KAEBURN.  379 

other  boys ;  but  this  did  not  lead  any  farther.  In  other  respects, 
he  was  distinguished  by  the  affection  of  his  companions,  and 
formed  at  that  early  period,  intimacies  with  some  of  those 
distinguished  friends  whose  regard  accompanied  him  through 
life.  Amongst  this  number  was  the  Lord  Chief  Commissioner, 
Adam. 

The  circumstances  of  young  Raeburn  rendering  it  urgent 
that  he  should,  as  early  as  possible,  be  enabled  to  provide 
for  his  own  support,  he  was  accordingly,  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
apprenticed  to  an  eminent  goldsmith  in  Edinburgh.  It  was 
soon  after  this  that  he  began  to  paint  miniatures.  In  what 
manner  this  taste  first  showed  itself  is  not  exactly  known  ; 
but  it  certainly  was  altogether  spontaneous,  without  lesson  or 
example,  and  without  even  having  ever  seen  a  picture.  His 
miniatures  were  executed,  however,  in  such  a  manner  as  drew 
immediate  attention  among  his  acquaintances.  His  master 
then  took  him  to  see  Martin's  pictures,  the  view  of  which 
altogether  astonished  and  delighted  him,  and  made  an  im- 
pression which  was  never  effaced.  He  continued  to  paint 
miniatures  ;  they  were  much  admired,  and  were  soon  in  ge- 
neral demand.  His  time  was  fully  occupied ;  and  he  generally 
painted  two  in  the  week.  ^  As  this  employment  of  course 
withdrew  his  time  from  the  trade,  an  arrangement  was  made, 
by  which  his  master  received  part  of  his  earnings,  and  dis- 
pensed with  his  attendance. 

In  the  course  of  his  apprenticeship,  young  Raeburn  began 
to  paint  in  oil,  and  on  a  large  scale.  To  aid  him  in  this  task, 
he  obtained  from  Martin  the  loan  of  several  pictures  to  copy  ; 
but  that  painter  did  not  contribute  advice  or  assistance  in  any 
other  shape;  and  having  once  unjustly  accused  the  young 
student  of  selling  one  of  the  copies,  Raeburn  indignantly  re- 
fused any  farther  accommodation  of  this  nature.  Having 
begun,  however,  to  paint  large  oil  pictures,  he  soon  adopted 
them  in  preference  to  miniatures,  a  style  which  he  gradually 
gave  up ;  nor  did  his  after  manner  retain  any  trace  of  that 
mode  of  painting. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  apprenticeship,  Mr.  Raeburn  be- 


380  SIR   HENRY    RAEBURN. 

came  professionally  a  portrait-painter.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
two,  he  married  a  daughter  of  Peter  Edgar,  Esq.  of  Bridge- 
lands,  with  whom  he  received  some  fortune.  Ambitious  still 
farther  to  improve  in  his  art,  he  repaired  to  London,  where  he 
introduced  himself  and  his  works  to  the  notice  of  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds.  That  great  man  instantly  saw  all  that  the  young 
Scotsman  was  capable  of,  gave  him  the  kindest  reception,  and 
earnestly  advised  him  to  enlarge  his  ideas  by  a  visit  to  Italy. 
He  even  offered,  had  it  been  necessary,  to  supply  hm  with 
money.  Mr.  Raeburn  accordingly  set  out  for  Rome,  well 
furnished  with  introductions  from  Sir  Joshua  to  the  most 
eminent  artists  and  men  of  science  in  that  capital.  He  spent 
two  years  in  Italy,  assiduously  employed  in  studying  those 
great  works  of  art  with  which  that  country  abounds.  He 
travelled  with  all  practicable  expedition  to  and  from  Italy, 
without  stopping  at  Paris  or  at  any  other  place. 

His  powers  now  fully  matured,  Mr.  Raeburn  returned  in 
1787  to  his  native  country,  and  immediately  established  him- 
self at  Edinburgh.  Having  taken  apartments  in  George  Street^ 
he  came  at  once  into  full  employment  as  a  portrait-painter. 
Martin,  who  was  still  on  the  field,  soon  found  himself  eclipsed, 
and  retired.  Raeburn  became  the  only  portrait-painter  of 
eminence;  and  he  continued  always  decidedly  the  first,  not- 
withstanding the  able  artists  who  have  since  risen  in  Edin- 
burgh to  adorn  both  that  and  other  branches  of  the  art. 

A  life  spent  in  one  place,  and  in  uniform  application  to 
professional  pursuits,  affords  few  materials  for  narrative.  In 
1 795,  finding  his  apartments  not  sufficiently  spacious  for  the 
operations  to  be  there  carried  on,  he  built  a  large  house  in 
York  Place,  the  upper  part  of  which  was  lighted  from  the 
roof,  and  fitted  up  as  a  gallery  for  exhibition,  while  the  lower 
was  divided  into  convenient  painting  rooms.  Mr.  Raeburn 
had  always  his  domestic  residence  at  St.  Bernard's,  near 
Stockbridge,  in  a  house  beautifully  situated  on  the  Water  of 
Leith,  whose  banks  are  here  agreeably  diversified  and  finely 
wooded.  In  addition  to  a  paternal  inheritance  there,  he 
became  proprietor  of  some  fields  on  its  north  side,  a  great 

15 


SIR    HENRY    RAEBURN.  881 

part  of  which,  as  the  demand  for  building  extended,  was  let 
on  a  perpetual  lease  by  him  for  houses,  with  gardens,  on  so 
judicious  and  tasteful  a  plan,  that  it  soon  became  the  most 
extensive  suburb  attached  to  Edinburgh. 

The  real  history  of  Mr.  Raeburn  is  that  of  his  painting; 
but  this,  unfortunately,  only  himself  could  fully  have  given. 
Having  stored  his  mind  with  ideas  drawn  from  the  purest 
school  of  modern  art,  he  was  indebted  for  his  subsequent 
improvement  solely  to  his  own  reflections,  and  the  study  of 
nature.  He  was  never  in  the  habit  of  repairing  to  London  ; 
and,  indeed,  he  did  not  visit  that  metropolis  above  three  times, 
nor  did  he  reside  in  it  altogether  more  than  four  months.  He 
was  thus  neither  in  the  habit  of  seeing  the  works  of  his  con- 
temporaries, nor  the  English  collections  of  old  pictures.  What- 
ever disadvantage  might  attend  this,  it  never  stopped  the  ca- 
reer of  his  improvement.  Probably,  indeed,  it  had  the  effect 
of  preserving  that  originality  which  formed  always  the  decided 
character  of  his  productions,  and  kept  him  free  from  being 
trammelled  by  the  style  of  any  class  of  artists.  Perhaps,  also, 
the  elevation  and  dignity  of  style  which  he  always  maintained 
might  be  greatly  owing  to  his  exclusive  acquaintance  with 
the  works  of  the  Italian  masters.  In  English  collections,  the 
Dutch  specimens  'are  necessarily  so  prominent,  both  as  to 
number  and  choice,  that  a  familiar  acquaintance  with  them 
must  be  apt  to  beget  a  taste  for  that  homely  truth,  and  minute 
finishing,  in  which  their  merit  consists. 

The  first  excellence  of  a  portrait,  and  for  the  absence  of 
which  nothing  can  atone,  must  evidently  be  its  resemblance. 
In  this  respect,  Sir  Henry's  eminence  was  universally 
acknowledged.  In  the  hands  of  the  best  artists  there 
must,  in  this  part  of  their  task,  be  something  precarious  ;  but 
in  a  vast  majority  of  instances  his  resemblances  were  most 
striking.  They  were  also  happily  distinguished,  by  being 
always  the  most  favourable  that  could  be  taken  of  the 
individual,  and  were  usually  expressive,  as  well  of  the  cha- 
racter as  of  the  features.  This  desirable  object  was  effected, 
not  by  the  introduction  of  any  ideal  touches,  or  any  de- 


382  SIR  HENRY  RAEBURN. 

parture  from  the  strictest  truth,  but  by  selecting  and  draw- 
ing out  those  aspects  under  which  the  features  appeared  most 
dignified  and  pleasing.  He  made  it  his  peculiar  study  to 
bring  out  the  mind  of  his  subjects.  His  penetration  quickly 
empowered  him  to  discover  their  favourite  pursuits  and  topics 
of  conversation.  Sir  Henry's  varied  knowledge  and  agreeable 
manners  then  easily  enabled  him,  in  the  course  of  the  sitting, 
to  lead  them  into  an  animated  discussion  on  those  ascer- 
tained subjects.  As  they  spoke,  he  caught  their  features, 
enlivened  by  the  strongest  expression  of  which  they  were  sus- 
ceptible. While  he  thus  made  the  portrait  much  more  correct 
and  animated,  his  sitters  had  a  much  more  agreeable  task  than 
those  who  were  pinned  up  for  hours  in  a  constrained  and  in- 
animate posture,  and  in  a  state  of  mental  vacuity.  So  agree- 
able, indeed,  did  many  of  the  most  distinguished  and  intelligent 
among  them  find  his  society,  that  they  courted  it  ever  after, 
and  studiously  converted  the  artist  into  a  friend  and  acquaint- 
ance. 

Besides  his  excellence  in  this  essential  quality  of  portrait, 
Sir  Henry  possessed  also,  in  an  eminent  degree,  those  se- 
condary merits  which  are  requisite  to  constitute  a  fine  paint- 
ing. His  drawing  was  correct,  his  colouring  rich  and  deep, 
and  his  lights  well  disposed.  There  was  something  bold, 
free,  and  open  in  the  whole  style  of  his  execution.  The 
accessories,  whether  of  drapery,  furniture,  or  landscape,  were 
treated  with  elegance  and  spirit,  yet  without  that  elaborate 
and  brilliant  finishing  which  makes  them  become  principals. 
These  parts  were  always  kept  in  due  subordination  to  the 
human  figure;  while  of  it,  the  head  came  always  out  as  the 
prominent  part.  Animals,  particularly  that  noble  species  the 
horse,  were  introduced  with  peculiar  felicity ;  and  Sir  Henry's 
equestrian  portraits  are  perhaps  his  very  best  performances. 
The  able  manner  in  which  the  animal  itself  was  drawn,  and 
in  which  it  was  combined  with  the  human  figure,  were  equally 
conspicuous.  His  portraits  of  Sir  David  Baird,  of  the  Duke 
of  Hamilton,  of  his  own  son  on  horseback,  and  above  all, 
perhaps,  his  recent  one  of  the  Earl  of  Hopetoun,  are  striking 


SIR  HENRY  RAEBURN.  383 

illustrations  of  this  remark.  This  skilful  grouping  and  judici- 
ous arrangement  of  the  accessories  gave  a  peculiarly  good  effect 
to  his  family-pictures,  for  which,  however,  Scotland  did  not  af- 
ford a  very  extensive  demand.  That  of  Sir  John  and  Lady 
Clerk,  at  Pennecuick-house,  painted  soon  after  his  return  from 
Italy,  deserves  to  be  particularly  mentioned. 

Sir  Henry  painted  portraits  of  most  of  the  celebrated  indi- 
viduals by  whom  Scotland  has  been  illustrated  during  the  last 
forty  years.  Among  those  painted  at  an  early  period,  the 
portrait  of  Mr  John  Clerk,  now  Lord  Eldin,  ranks  among 
the  best ;  that  of  the  late  Principal  Hill,  St.  Andrew's,  also 
possessed  great  merit.  Among  the  works  executed  during  the 
last  fifteen  years,  the  portraits  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  (full  length), 
of  Mr.  Dugald  Stewart,  the  late  Mr.  Playfair,  the  late  Mr. 
Horner,  Lord  Frederick  Campbell,  Mac  Donnell  of  Glengarry, 
Macnab  of  Macnab,  both  in  the  Highland  costume,  and  many 
others  produced  within  the  last  ten  years,  merit  particular 
notice. 

Sir  Henry  did  not  devote  any  part  of  his  attention  either  to 
historical  or  to  landscape  painting.  His  employment  as  a 
portrait-painter  was  constant,  and  his  leisure  hours  were  de- 
voted to  other  pursuits.  Although  his  pieces  were  carefully 
finished,  yet  he  painted  with  uncommon  expedition.  His 
firm  and  sure  touch  enabled  him  to  execute  at  once  what 
others  effected  only  by  successive  trials  and  operations.  Even 
Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  we  understand,  has  been  heard  to  say, 
that  though  he  received  a  higher  price  for  his  pictures,  he 
was  worse  paid  for  his  time  than  Raeburn.  An  advice  which 
Sir  Henry  received  at  Rome  from  Mr.  Byers,  a  gentleman 
of  great  taste,  and  to  which  he  invariably  adhered,  was,  never 
to  copy  any  object  whatever  from  memory.  Whether  it  was 
the  principal  figure  or  the  minutest  accessory,  he  had  it  always 
before  him  ;  and  to  the  strict  observance  of  this  rule,  he  as- 
cribed, in  a  great  measure,  his  continued  improvement,  and 
the  genuine  and  natural  character  which  his  pictures  always 
preserved. 


384«  SIR  HENRY  RAEBURN. 

To  the  above  remarks,  we  are  enabled  to  add  the  following 
estimate  of  the  general  merits  of  Sir  Henry's  pictures,  with 
which  we  have  been  favoured  by  an  eminent  artist :  — 

"  Of  Sir  Henry  Raeburn's  pictures,  it  may  be  said,  that 
few,  perhaps  none  of  them,  exhibit  that  attention  to  finishing, 
which  invites  close  and  minute  inspection.  At  an  early  period 
of  his  career,  he  began  to  paint  for  effect ;  and  he  seems  to 
have  judged  that  labour  unnecessary  which  was  not  to  tell  in 
the  general  result  of  his  works,  as  viewed  at  a  certain  distance 
from  the  spectator.  In  the  works  of  Vandyke,  this  minuteness 
of  finish,  and  delicate  expression  of  all  the  smaller  parts,  has 
been  happily  combined  with  a  mastery  and  power  over  the 
general  effect,  which,  while  it  takes  nothing  away  from  their 
vigour  as  seen  on  the  walls  of  the  Gallery,  renders  them  in- 
teresting and  delightful  as  subjects  of  near  inspection  and 
careful  analysis.  To  those  who  are  curious  to  know  how  far 
this  latter  quality  may  be  sacrificed  without  prejudice  to  the 
former,  the  pictures  of  Sir  Henry  will  afford  a  school  of  very 
interesting  instruction ;  nor  is  that  discernment  and  dexterity 
to  be  ranked  of  ordinary  attainment,  which  can  at  once  see, 
and  at  once  express,  all  that  is  effective  and  essential,  so  as  to 
exhibit,  at  the  distance  from  which  it  is  intended  to  be  seen, 
the  full  result  of  the  highest  and  most  careful  finishing,  All 
who  are  conversant  with  the  practice  of  art,  must  have  observed 
how  often  the  spirit  which  gave  life  and  vigour  to  a  first 
sketch  has  gradually  evaporated  as  the  picture  advanced  to 
its  more  finished  state.  To  preserve  this  spirit,  combined 
with  the  evanescent  delicacies  and  blendings  which  nature  on 
minute  inspection  exhibits,  constitutes  a  perfection  in  art  to 
which  few  have  attained.  And  if  the  works  of  Sir  Henry  fail  to 
exhibit  this  rare  combination  in  that  degree,  to  this  distinction 
they  will  always  have  a  just  claim,  that  they  possess  a  freedom, 
a  vigour  and  spirit  of  effect,  conveying  an  impression  of  grace, 
and  life,  and  reality,  which  we  look  for  in  vain  amidst  thou- 
sands of  pictures,  both  ancient  and  modern,  of  more  elaborate 
execution,  and  pains-taking  finish." 


SIR  HENRY  RAEBURN.  385 

The  active  mind  of  Sir  Henry  was  by  no  means  confined 
within  the  circle  of  his  profession.  Indeed,  those  who  best 
knew  him,  conceived  that  the  eminence  to  which  he  attained 
in  it  was  less  the  result  of  any  exclusive  propensity,  than  of 
those  general  powers  of  mind  which  would  have  led  to  excel- 
lence in  any  pursuit  to  which  he  had  directed  his  attention. 
Though  in  a  great  degree  self-taught,  his  knowledge  was  varied 
and  extensive.  His  classical  attainments  were  considerable  ;  but 
mechanics  and  natural  philosophy  formed  the  favourite  objects 
of  his  study.  To  these,  in  a  particular  manner,  he  devoted  the 
leisure  of  his  evenings,  when  not  interrupted  by  the  claims  of 
society.  Sculpture  was  also  an  object  of  his  peculiar  study  ; 
and  so  great  was  his  taste  for  it,  that  at  Rome  he  at  one  time 
entertained  the  idea  of  dtevoting  himself  to  that  noble  art,  as  a 
profession,  in  preference  to  painting.  A  medallion  of  himself, 
which  he  afterwards  executed,  satisfied  all  men  of  taste  who 
saw  it,  that  he  would  have  attained  to  equal  excellence  in  this 
art,  had  he  made  it  the  object  of  his  choice. 

Few  men  were  better  calculated  to  command  respect  in 
society  than  Sir  Henry  Raeburn.  His  varied  knowledge,  his 
gentlemanly  and  agreeable  manners,  an  extensive  command  of 
anecdote,  always  well  told  and  happily  introduced,  the  general 
correctness  and  propriety  of  his  whole  deportment,  made  him 
be  highly  valued  by  many  of  the  most  distinguished  individu- 
als in  Edinburgh,  both  as  a  companion  and  as  a  friend.  His 
conversation  might  be  said  in  some  degree  to  resemble  his 
style  of  painting — there  was  the  same  ease  and  simplicity,  the 
same  total  absence  of  affectation  of  every  kind,  and  the  same 
manly  turn  of  sense  and  genius.  But  we  are  not  aware  that 
the  humorous  gaiety  and  sense  of  the  ludicrous,  which  often 
enlivened  his  conversation,  ever  guided  his  pencil. 

Sir  Henry  Rueburn,  like  Raphael,  Michael  Angelo,  and  some 
other  masters  of  the  art,  possessed  the  advantages  of  a  tall 
and  commanding  person,  and  a  noble  and' expressive  counte- 
nance. He  excelled  at  archery,  golf,  and  other  Scottish  ex- 
ercises ;  and  it  may  be  added,  that,  while  engaged  in  painting, 
his  step  and  attitudes  were  at  once  stately  and  graceful. 

VOL.  vin.  c  c 


386  SIR    HENRY    RAEBURN. 

The  mental  qualities  of  this  excellent  man  corresponded 
with  the  graces  of  his  conversation  and  exterior.  By  those 
who  most  intimately  knew  him,  he  is  described  as  uniting  in  an 
eminent  degree  the  qualities  which  command  genuine  esteem. 
His  attendance  on  the  duties  of  religion  was  regular  and  ex- 
emplary. In  domestic  life,  he  appeared  peculiarly  amiable. 
Though  so  much  courted  in  society,  he  seemed  always  happiest 
at  home,  in  the  bosom  of  his  family  and  of  his  grandchildren ; 
and  he  was  sure  to  unbend  himself  by  mingling  in  their 
youthful  sports.  To  young  men  who  were  entering  the 
arduous  career  of  art,  he  showed  himself  always  a  most  active 
and  generous  friend.  Whether  acquainted  or  not,  they  were 
welcome  to  come  to  him,  and  were  sure  of  his  best  advice 
and  assistance.  Notwithstanding  his  extensive  engagements 
and  pursuits,  a  large  proportion  of  his  time  was  always  spent 
in  rendering  these  kind  offices.  When  unable  to  command 
time  during  the  day,  he  would  engage  them  to  come  to  him 
early  in  the  morning.  *  In  passing  sentence  on  the  works  of 
his  brother  artists,  he  evinced  the  most  liberal  candour,  and, 
even  where  unable  to  bestow  praise,  was  scarcely  ever  heard 
to  blame. 

The  merit  of  Sir  Henry  was  amply  acknowledged,  both  by 
literary  societies  and  by  those  formed  for  the  promotion  of 
art.  He  became  a  member  of  the  Royal  Society  of 
Edinburgh,  of  the  Imperial  Academy  of  Florence,  of  the 
Academy  of  New  York,  and  of  the  South  Carolina  Academy. 
On  the  2d  of  November,  1812,  the  Royal  Academy  of  Lon- 
don elected  him  an  Associate;  and  on  the  10th  of  February, 
1815,  they  named  him  an  Academician.  This  honour  was 
conferred  in  a  manner  quite  unprecedented,  not  having  been 
preceded  by  any  application  whatever ;  while  in  general  it  is 
the  result  of  a  very  keen  canvass ;  and  at  that  very  time,  the 
candidates  were  particularly  numerous. 

The  time  was  come,  however,  when  the  talents  of  the  artist 
were  to  meet  a  still  more  brilliant  and  imposing  homage.  His 
Majesty,  in  the  course  of  that  visit  which  has  left  so  many 
grateful  recollections  in  the  mind  of  his  Scottish  subjects, 


SIR    HENRY    RAEBURN.  387 

determined  to  show  his  esteem  for  the  fine  arts,  by  a  special  mark 
of  honour  conferred  on  the  most  distinguished  of  their  pro- 
fessors. This  view  was  happily  fulfilled  by  conferring  on 
Mr.  Raeburn  the  dignity  of  knighthood.  So  far  was  this 
from  having  been  the  result  of  any  application,  that  Mr. 
Raeburn  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of  it  till  the  evening  before, 
when  he  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Peel,  announcing  the 
Royal  intention,  and  requesting  him  to  meet  his  Majesty  next 
day  at  Hopetoun-house.  The  ceremony  was  performed  in 
the  great  saloon,  amid  a  numerous  assemblage  of  company, 
and  with  the  sword  of  Sir  Alexander  Hope. 

The  honour  thus  conferred  on  Sir  Henry  being  completely 
sanctioned  by  public  opinion,  conferred  equal  credit  on  the 
bestower  and  the  receiver.  His  brother  artists,  instead  of 
being  moved  with  any  feeling  of  envy,  considered  it  as  a  noble 
tribute,  which  threw  new  lustre  on  themselves  and  their  pro- 
fession. These  sentiments  they  expressed  by  a  public  dinner 
given  to  Sir  Henry  on  the  5th  of  October.  On  this  occasion, 
Mr.  Nasmyth,  in  the  name  of  his  brethren,  bore  testimony  to 
the  high  satisfaction  felt  by  them  at  the  choice  made  by  his 
Majesty,  and  which  they  founded  not  more  upon  the  high 
talent  of  Sir  Henry  Raeburn,  than  upon  the  many  excel- 
lencies of  his  private  character.  Sir  Henry  made  a  modest 
and  dignified  reply. 

Sir  Henry  received  afterwards  the  appointment  of  Portrait- 
painter  to  his  Majesty  for  Scotland ;  a  nomination,  however, 
which  was  not  announced  to  him  till  the  very  day  when  he 
was  seized  with  his  last  illness.  The  king,  when  conferring 
the  dignity  of  knighthood,  had  expressed  a  wish  to  have  a 
portrait  of  himself  painted  by  this  great  artist ;  but  Sir 
Henry's  numerous  engagements  prevented  him  from  visiting 
the  metropolis  for  that  purpose. 

It  reflects  great  honour  on  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  that 
he  never  gave  way  to  those  secure  and  indolent  habits,  which 
advanced  age  and  established  reputation  are  so  apt  to  en- 
gender. He  continued,  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  a  student, 
to  seek  and  to  attain  farther  improvement.  The  pictures  of 

c  c  2 


388  SIR  HENRY    RAEBURN. 

his  two  or  three  last  years  are  unquestionably  the  best  that  he 
ever  painted.*  We  need  only  adduce,  as  examples,  those  of 
the  Earl  of  Hopetoun,  the  Earl  of  Breadalbane,  Sir  John 
Douglas,  the  Marquis  of  Huntley,  the  Lord  Chief  Com- 
missioner Adam,  Sir  John  Hay,  Dr.  Hunter,  of  St.  Andrews, 
and  Mr.  Constable.  But  perhaps  the  most  interesting  part 
of  his  recent  works  consists  in  a  series  of  half-length  portraits 
of  eminent  Scotsmen,  which,  during  this  period,  he  executed 
for  his  private  gratification.  They  include  Sir  Walter  Scott, 
Mr.  Jeffrey,  the  Rev.  Archibald  Alison,  the  late  Mr.  Rennie, 
Mr.  H.  Cockburn,  the  Rev.  J.  Thomson,  Mr.  H.  W.  Wil- 
liams, and  several  others.  Although  the  form  does  not  afford 
scope  for  the  display  of  his  powers  in  grouping  and  ornamen- 
tal accompaniment,  the  admirable  truth  with  which  not  only 
the  features,  but  the  intellectual  energies  and  expression  of 
these  eminent  persons  are  here  delineated,  gives  them  an  inter- 
est much  superior  to  that  of  ordinary  portraits. 

Although  Sir  Henry  had  now  reached  the  decline  of  life, 
yet  his  vigorous  constitution,  fortified  by  habitual  temperance, 
gave  a  reasonable  hope  of  his  being  yet  for  some  time  pre- 
served to  his  friends  and  to  the  world.  These  hopes  were 
doomed  to  be  fatally  disappointed.  He  appeared  to  enjoy 
the  most  perfect  health,  and  was  just  returned  from  an  excur- 
sion into  Fifeshire  with  Sir  Walter  Scott,  the  Chief  Baron 
Shepherd,  and  a  small  party  of  friends,  united  under  the  aus- 
pices of  Lord  Chief  Commissioner  Adam,  who  have  for  some 
years  past  interposed  a  parenthesis  into  the  chapter  of  public 
business,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  objects  of  historical  curi- 
osity and  interest.  None  of  the  party  on  this  occasion  seemed 
more  to  enjoy  the  party,  or  its  objects,  than  Sir  Henry  Rae- 
burn.  He  showed  on  all  occasions  his  usual  vigour,  both  of 
body  and  of  intellect ;  visited  with  enthusiasm  the  ancient  ruins 
of  Saint  Andrew's,  of  Pittenweem,  and  other  remains  of  anti- 
quity, and  contributed  much  to  the  hilarity  of  the  party ;  and 

*  Two  of  these  were  in  the  Exhibition  of  last  year  at  Somerset-house,  and  very 
greatly  admired.  One  in  particular,  was  pronounced  by  an  eminent  judge  to  be 
the  very  best  picture  in  the  rooms. 


SIR    HENRY    RAEBURN.  389 

no  one  could  have  then  supposed  that  the  lamp  which  yielded 
a  light  so  delightful,  was  to  be  so  speedily  quenched.  When 
he  returned  to  Edinburgh,  Sir  Walter  Scott  sate  to  him,  in 
order  that  Sir  Henry  might  finish  two  portraits ;  one,  already 
mentioned,  for  the  artist  himself,  and  one  for  Lord  Montague. 
These  were  the  last  pictures  which  the  pencil  of  this  great 
master  ever  touched  —  a  subject  of  affectionate  regret  to  the 
person  represented,  who  had  been  long  a  friend  of  Sir  Henry 
Raeburn.  Within  a  day  or  two  afterwards,  this  amiable  and 
excellent  man  was  suddenly  affected  with  a  general  decay  and 
debility,  not  accompanied  by  any  visible  complaint.  This 
state  of  illness,  after  continuing  for  about  a  week  to  baffle  all 
the  efforts  of  medical  skilj,  terminated  fatally  on  the  8th  July, 
1823,  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  67. 

This  event  excited  the  strongest  sympathy,  not  only  among 
the  friends  of  Sir  Henry,  but  throughout  the  public  in  gene- 
ral. The  professors  of  the  art  felt,  of  course,  an  interest  and 
sorrow  peculiarly  deep ;  and  it  was  anxiously  suggested,  by 
several  of  the  most  respectable  among  them,  that  the  remains 
of  this  great  artist  should  be  honoured  with  a  public  funeral. 
Although  it  was  universally  acknowledged  that  this  honour 
was  due,  peculiar  circumstances  prevented  the  accomplish- 
ment of  their  wish.  On  the  10th,  however,  a  meeting  was 
held  of  the  Royal  Institution  for  the  Encouragement  of  the 
Fine  Arts  in  Scotland;  and,  with  the  Lord  Provost  in  the 
chair,  the  following  Resolutions  were  passed : 

1.  That  the  meeting  has,  with  the  most  profound  regret, 
received  the  communication  of  the  death  of  Sir  Henry  Rae- 
burn,  R.  A.,  and  his  Majesty's  Painter  for  Scotland  ;  an  event 
to  be  deplored,  not  more  on  account  of  the  private  virtues  of 
that  great  artist,  than  of  the  pre-eminence  to  which  he  had  ar- 
rived in  that  branch  of  the  profession  to  which  he  had  devoted 
his  rare  and  distinguished  talents,  and  which  has  mainly  con- 
tributed to  the  reputation  of  the  art  in  this  quarter  of  the 
empire. 

2.  That  this  meeting  Is  fully  sensible  that  it  was  a  tribute 

cc  3 


390  SIR    HENRY    RAEBURN. 

most  justly  due  to  the  memory  of  this  eminent  person,  who 
had  himself  so  largely  contributed  to  the  advancement  of 
painting  in  Scotland,  that  the  members  of  this  Royal  Insti- 
tution should  have  requested  permission  of  his  family  to  have 
publicly  attended  in  a  body  his  remains  to  the  grave :  and 
that  it  is  therefore  with  deep  regret  that  this  meeting  has 
been  obliged  to  yield  to  the  conviction,  that  circumstances 
connected  with  the  period  of  the  year,  and  the  indispensable 
engagements  of  the  persons  of  whom  this  Institution  is  com- 
posed, (which  render  it  impossible  for  them  to  be  assembled 
on  the  day  when  it  is  understood  that  the  funeral  is  to  take 
place),  must  prevent  their  having  the  melancholy  gratification 
of  affording  that  testimony  of  their  respect  for  his  virtues  as 
an  individual,  of  their  admiration  of  his  talents  as  -a  painter, 
and  of  their  absolute  persuasion  that  the  progress  of  the  art 
itself  must  be  most  materially  retarded  in  this  country  by  his 
sudden  and  premature' death. 

3.  That  the  above  resolutions  be  communicated  to  Henry 
Raeburn,  Esq.  and  be  made  public  in  such  manner  as  the 
Directors  of  this  Institution  may  appoint. 

In  the  sister  metropolis,  though  Sir  Henry  was  compara- 
tively much  less  known  there,  an  equally  strong  sensation  was 
produced.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Royal  Academy,  held  on  the 
14th,  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  lamented  the  melancholy  task 
which  had  devolved  upon  him,  of  officially  announcing  to  his 
brethren  the  death  of  one  of  their  most  distinguished  associ- 
ates. He  expressed  his  high  admiration  for  the  talents  of  the 
deceased,  and  his  unfeigned  respect  for  that  high  feeling  and 
gentlemanlike  conduct  which  had  conferred  a  dignity  on  him- 
self and  the  art  which  he  professed.  His  loss,  Sir  Thomas 
conceived,  had  left  a  blank  in  the  Royal  Academy,  as  well  as 
in  his  own  country,  which  could  not  be  filled  up.  This  un- 
usual tribute  excited  the  visible  sympathy  of  all  present ;  and 
Mr.  Wilkie,  as  a  native  of  Scotland,  took  occasion  to  express 
his  grateful  feelings  for  the  honour  thus  done  to  his  country 
and  his  friend.  17 


SIR     HENRY    RAEBURN.  391 

Sir  Henry,  as  we  already  observed,  married  early  in  life, 
and  Lady  Raeburn  survives  him.  He  had  two  sons,  the  elder 
of  whom,  Peter,  a  most  promising  youth,  who  inherited  his 
father's  genius,  died  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen.  Henry,  the 
second  son,  is  married,  and  has  a  family.  From  his  society 
his  father  always  derived  peculiar  gratification,  and,  with  the 
affectionate  disposition  which  distinguished  him,  had  entirely 
adopted  his  family  as  his  own.  During  the  whole  period  of 
their  joint  lives,  they  lived  under  the  same  roof. 


C  C  4 


392 


No.  XX. 
JOHN  SCHANCK,  EsS. 

ADMIIIAL  OF  THE  BLUE,  AND  FELLOW  OF  THE  ROYAL  SOCIETY. 
rp 

1  HIS  at  once  brave  and  scientific  officer,  who  distinguished 
himself  both  in  the  'civil  and  in  the  military  service  of  the 
Navy,  was  descended  from  a  very  ancient  family  in  Mid 
Lothian ;  a  branch  of  which  settled  at  Kinghorn,  in  Fife- 
shire,  and  obtained  lands  therein  the  reign  of  Robert  Bruce, 
anno  1319.  The  Schancks,  or  Shanks,  are  supposed  to 
have  been  originally  Norwegians,  who  having  landed  during 
some  predatory  expedition  on  the  north-eastern  coast,  settled 
there.  This  we  believe  frequently  occurred,  in  respect  to 
all  the  maritime  parts  of  the  island  bordering  on  the  Deu- 
caledonian  sea ;  and  the  curious  reader  has  only  to  turn  to 
Buchanan,  in  order  to  learn  the  fluctuating  nature  of  the 
population  of  Scotland  during  the  middle  ages. 

Admiral  Schanck  was  a  son  of  the  late  Alexander  Schanck, 
Esq.  of  Castlereg,  Fifeshire,  by  Mary,  daughter  of  Mr.  John 
Burnet,  Minister  at  Moniemusk,  in  Aberdeenshire,  of  the 
ancient  and  honourable  family  of  Burnet.  He  was  born 
about  the  year  1746,  went  to  sea  early  in  life,  and  was  for 
some  time  in  the  merchant,  service.  This  was  formerly  the 
case  more  than  at  present;  for  some  of  our  ablest  com- 
manders of  former  times,  and  even  some  of  those  who  are 
yet  living,  were  so  bred. 

In  the  year  1757  Mr.  Schanck  served  for  the  first  time 
in  a  man  of  war,  the  Elizabeth  of  74?  guns,  commanded  by 
the  late  Sir  Hugh  Palliser.  This  officer,  notwithstanding 
the  odium  attempted  to  be  attached  to  his  name  in  conse- 
quence of  his  disputes  with  Admiral  Keppel,  was  a  man  of 
much  worth  and  discernment ;  and  while  he  possessed  great 
merit  himself,  he  appeared  always  ready  to  distinguish  and 


ADMIRAL  SCHANCK.  393 

to  reward  it  in  others.  He  was  appointed  at  this  time  to 
cruize  between  Cape  Clear  and  Cape  Finisterre ;  and  when 
he  afterwards  removed  to  another  ship,  Mr.  Schanck  ac- 
companied him  in  the  capacity  of  master's  mate;  a  station 
that  implies  some  previous  knowledge  in  nautical  affairs. 

We  next  find  Mr.  Schanck  in  the  Emerald  frigate,  Captain 
(afterwards  Sir  Charles)  Douglas,  with  whom  he  went  to  the 
North  Cape  of  Lapland,  in  order  to  observe  the  transit  of 
Venus ;  an  intention,  however,  which  the  prevailing  gloomi- 
ness of  the  weather  prevented. 

About  the  year  1771,  our  officer  joined  the  Princess  Ame- 
lia of  80  guns,  fitting  for  the  flag  of  Sir  George  B.  Rodney, 
who  had  recently  been  appointed  to  the  command  on  the 
Jamaica  station.  Previous  to  this,  he  appears  to  have  had  the 
good  fortune  to  save  the  life  of  Mr.  Whitworth,  son  of  Sir 
Charles,  and  brother  to  Lord  Whitworth,  who  was  overset  in 
a  small  boat  in  Portsmouth  harbour.  v  Mr.  Whitworth  was 
afterwards  lost  in  America,  while  serving  under  Lord  Howe. 
Mr.  Schanck  was  also  for  some  time  a  midshipman  on  board 
the  Barfleur. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1 776,  after  a  laborious  service  of 
eighteen  years'  continuance,  Mr.  Schanck  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  lieutenant,  and  appointed  to  the  Canceaux,  an  armed 
schooner,  employed  on  the  river  St.  Lawrence.*  This  com- 
mand he  nominally  retained  for  a  considerable  time ;  we  say 
nominally,  for  almost  immediately  after  the  commencement  of 
the  war  in  Canada,  the  late  Admiral  Vandeput,  with  whom 
he  had  served  as  a  midshipman  in  India,  and  who  had  con- 
ceived a  just  idea  of  his  talents,  recommended  him  as  a  proper 
person  to  fit  out  a  flotilla,  to  act  against  the  revolted  colonists 


*  It  was  at  about  the  same  period  that  Mr.  Schanck  exhibited  a  talent  for 
mechanics.  This  had  formerly  displayed  itself,  indeed,  on  several  occasions  for 
the  good  of  the  service ;  but  what  caught  the  eye  of  the  multitude  was  the  con- 
struction of  a  cot,  which,  by  means  of  pulleys,  might  be  raised  or  lowered  at 
pleasure,  at  the  will  of  the  person  who  reclined  in  it ;  while,  by  means  of  castors, 
it  could  also  be  removed  by  himself  from  place  to  place  without  any  difficulty. 
This  was  afterwards  presented,  we  believe,  to  the  grandfather  of  the  present  Lord 
Dundas,  and  obtained  for  the  inventor  the  familiar  appellation  of  «  Old  Purchase," 
among  his  companions. 


394  ADMIRAL    SCHANCK. 

on  the  Lakes ;  in  consequence  of  which  he  was  appointed 
superiritendant  of  the  naval  department  of  St.  John's,  and  in 
the  year  following  received  a  second  commission,  nominating 
him  to  the  elevated  station  of  senior  officer  of  the  naval  de- 
partment in  that  quarter.  In  fact,  he  might  have  been  truly 
called  the  civil  commander-in-chief,  all  the  conjunct  duties 
of  the  Admiralty  and  Navy  Board  being  vested  in  him.  The 
force  under  his  direction  was  considerable ;  no  less  than  four 
different  flotillas,  or  squadrons  of  small  vessels,  being  at  one 
time  subject  to  his  direction  in  the  civil  line.  His  exertions 
and  merit  were  so  conspicuous,  as  to  draw  forth  the  highest 
encomiums  from  the  admiral  commanding  on  the  station, 
particularly  on  account  of  the  celerity  and  expedition  with 
which  he  constructed  a  ship  of  above  300  tons,  called  the 
Inflexible,  the  very  presence  of  which  vessel  on  the  lakes 
struck  with  insurmountable  terror  the  whole  American  fleet, 
and  compelled  it  to  seek  for  safety  in  ignominious  flight,  after 
having  held  out  a  vain  boast  of  many  months'  continuance, 
that  the  first  appearance  of  the  British  flotilla  would  be  the 
certain  forerunner  of  its  immediate  destruction. 

The  Inflexible  was  originally  put  on  the  stocks  at  Quebec  ; 
her  floors  were  all  laid,  and  some  timbers  in;  the  whole, 
namely,  the  floors,  keel,  stem,  and  stern,  were  then  taken 
down,  and  carried  up  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Chamblais,  and 
thence  to  St.  John's.  Her  keel  was  laid,  for  the  second  time, 
on  the  morning  of  the  2d  September;  and  by  sunset,  not  only 
the  above-mentioned  parts  were  laid  and  fixed,  but  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  fresh  timber  was,  in  the  course  of  the 
same  day,  cut  out,  and  formed  into  futtocks,  top- timbers, 
beams, 'planks,  &c.  On  the  30th  Sept.,  being  twenty-eight 
days  from  the  period  when  the  keel  was  laid,  the  Inflexible 
was  launched  ;  and  on  the  evening  of  the  1st  Oct.  she 
actually  sailed,  completely  manned,  victualled,  and  equipped 
for  service.  In  ten  days  afterwards  this  vessel  was  engaged 
with  the  enemy ;  so  that  it  may  be  said,  without  the  smallest 
exaggeration  of  Lieutenant  Schanck's  merits,  that  he  built, 
rigged,  and  completed  a  ship,  which  fought  and  beat  her 


ADMIRAL    SCHANCK. 


395 


enemy,  in  less  than  six  weeks  from  the  commencement  of  her 
construction.  Among  other  curious  particulars  relative  to 
this  extraordinary  circumstance,  it  was  no  uncommon  thing 
for  a  number  of  trees,  which  were  actually  growing  at  dawn 
of  day,  to  form  different  parts  of  the  ship,  either  as  planks, 
beams,  or  other  timbers,  before  night.  Few  professional  men, 
and  methodical  shipwrights,  would,  perhaps,  credit  this  fact, 
were  it  not  established  beyond  all  possibility  of  controversy.* 


*  A  list  of  the  British  and  American  flotillas  in  the  engagement  on  Lake 
Champlain,  on  the  llth  and  13th  Oct.  1776.  The  former  commanded  by  Captain 
T.  Pringle,  the  latter  by  General  Arnold : 


Lieutenant  Schanck. 
.  Stark  ie. 


vitzers,   j 


J.  R.  Dacres. 


Geo.  Scott. 


Guns. 
Inflexible,  ship   .......    18   12-pdrs. 

Maria,  schooner 14     6  ... 

Carleton,  schooner 12     G 

C    6  24 

Thunder,  radeau <    6  12 

C    2  howitzers, 

Loyal  Convert,  gondola    ...  7     9-pdrs Longcroft. 

20  gun-boats,  each  carrying  a  brass  field-piece,  from  24  to  9-pounders. 

4  large  boats,  with  a  carriage-gun  mounted  in  each. 
24  long  boats,  with  provisons  and  stores. 

The  whole  manned  by  a  detachment  of  seamen  from  the  King's  ships  at  Quebec, 
and  transports.  Their  numbers  amounted  to  8  officers,  19  petty  officers,  and  670 
men.  The  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  did  not  exceed  forty. 


Royal  Savage,  schooner 
Revenge,               do. 

AMERICAN. 

Gnns. 
.  .  .     8     6-pdrs. 
.   .  .     4     6  ... 

.   .   .    10     4  ... 

4     4-pdrs. 
4     4  ... 

2   12  ... 
6     6  ... 
2   12  ... 
6     6  ... 
2  12  ... 
6     6  ... 
2   12  ... 
2   12  ... 
1    12-pdr. 

Burnt. 
Escaped. 
Ditto. 

£  Blown  up, 
|  Taken. 

?•  Escaped. 

Sunk. 
Taken. 

>  Destroyed. 

r    2   18  ... 

'   '    I   2     2  ... 
c   2  18  ... 

Trumbull       do.         .   . 

'   '     I    2     2  ... 
c   2  18  ... 

'    '     (2     2  ... 
.  .         1   18-pdr. 

1    18  ... 

r   1      9.  .   . 

(  4     G-pdrs, 

Six  gondolas  were  driven  ashore  and  destroyed  ;  a  large  schooner  and  a  galley 
not  in  the  action.  Their  loss  not  known,  but  supposed  to  have  been  very 
considerable, 


396  ADMJRAL    SCHANCK. 

Exclusively  of  the  armaments  which  he  had  fitted  out  and 
equipped  for  service  on  the  lakes  Ontario,  Erie,  Huron,  and 
Michigan,  Lieutenant  Schanck  had  the  direction  of  four  dif- 
ferent dock-yards  at  the  same  time,  situated  at  St.  John's, 
Quebec,  Carleton  Island,  and  Detroit.  In  all  these  multifa- 
rious branches  and  divisions  of  public  duty,  his  diligence  and 
zeal  were  equalled  only  by  the  strict  attention  which  he  paid 
on  all  occasions  to  the  economical  expenditure  of  the  public 
money;  a  rare  and  highly  honorable  example, particularly  at  that 
time  of  day,  when  peculation  and  plunder  were  charges  by  no 
means  uncommon,  and  when  the  opportunities  which  he 
possessed  of  enriching  himself,  without  danger  of  incurring 
complaint,  or  risking  discovery,  were  perhaps  unprecedented. 
His  services  on  this  occasion  were  not  solely  confined  to  the 
naval  department.  When  General  Burgoyne  arrived  from 
England,  and  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  a  formidable 
army,  by  means  of  which,  in  co-operation  with  other  assistance, 
it  was  expected  that  America  would  be  suddenly  and  com- 
pletely subdued,  Lieutenant  Schanck's  talents  were  again 
called  into  exertion.  In  a  country  so  frequently  intersected 
by  creeks,  rivulets,  streams,  and  rapid  rivers,  the  progress  of 
troops  was  liable  to  an  endless  variety  of  obstructions.  It  is 
usual  in  Europe  to  make  use  of  pontoons  on  similar  occasions ; 
but  these  were  not  always  to  be  obtained  in  America,  and  even 
when  procured  became  cumbersome  and  inconvenient  in  a 
forest,  as  they  were  to  be  carried  through  swamps  and  woods, 
sometimes  impervious  to  waggons.  To  obviate  the  incon- 
venience to  which  General  Burgoyne  was  subjected  on  this 
account,  Lieutenant  Schanck  became  not  only  the  inventor, 
but  the  constructor  of  several  floating  bridges,  by  which  the 
progress  of  the  army  was  materially  aided,  and  without  which 
it  would  have  been  in  all  probability  totally  impeded  much 
sooner  than  it  really  was.  They  were  so  constructed  as  to  be 
capable  of  navigating  themselves ;  and  were  not  only  equipped 
with  masts  and  sails  for  that  purpose,  but,  having  been  built 
at  the  distance  of  seventy  miles  from  Crown-Point,  were 
actually  conveyed  thither  without  difficulty,  for  the  purpose 


ADMIRAL    SCHANCK.  597 

of  forming  a  bridge  at  that  place.  The  unhappy  result  of 
General  Burgoyne's  expedition  for  the  subjugation  of  the 
colonies  is  too  well  known  ;  and  it  is  almost  unnecessary  to 
remark,  that  the  floating  bridges,  like  the  army  destined  to 
pass  over  them,  were  but  too  soon  in  the  power  of  the 
enemy. 

Such  services  as  these  could  not  but  be  followed  by  cor- 
respondent rewards  ;  and  we  accordingly  find  Lieutenant 
Schanck  promoted,  first  to  the  rank  of  commander,  and  then 
to  that  of  post-captain :  the  latter  event  occurred  Aug.  15. 
1783. 

It  might  naturally  have  been  expected,  that  the  interval  of 
public  tranquillity  that  ensued  after  the  contest,  which  ended 
in  the  complete  emancipation  of  our  trans-atlantic  colonies, 
would  prove  some  bar,  if  not  to  the  expansion,  at  least  to  the 
display  of  Captain  Schanck's  ingenuity  and  nautical  abilities  ; 
this,  however,  was  by  no  means  the  case.  He  invented,  or, 
it  may  rather  be  said,  he  improved,  a  former  invention  of  his 
own,  relative  to  the  construction  of  vessels,  peculiarly  adapted 
for  navigating  in  shallow  water.  These  were  fitted  with 
sliding  keels,  worked  by  mechanism. 

While  in  America,  our  officer  became  known  to  Earl  Percy, 
the  late  Duke  of  Northumberland;  and  it  was  during  a  con- 
versation with  that  nobleman,  that  the  idea  of  this  new  con- 
struction appears  to  have  been  first  elicited.  His  Lordship, 
who  discovered  a  taste  for  naval  architecture,  amidst  the 
devastations  of  civil  war,  and  the  various  operations  of  a  land 
army,  happened  one  day  to  observe,  "  That  if  cutters  were 
built  flatter,  so  as  to  go  on  the  surface,  and  not  draw  much 
water,  they  would  sail  much  faster,  and  might  still  be  enabled 
to  carry  as  much  sail,  and  keep  up  to  the  wind,  by  having 
their  keels  descend  to  a  greater  depth ;  and  that  the  flat  side 
of  the  keel,  when  presented  to  the  water,  would  even  make 
them  able  to  spread  more  canvas,  and  hold  the  water  better, 
than  on  a  construction  whereby  they  present  only  the  circular 
surface  of  the  body  to  the  wave."  Mr.  Schanck  immediately 
coincided  in  this  opinion  ;  and  added,  "That  if  this  deep  keel 


398  ADMIRAL    SCHANCK* 

were  made  moveable,  and  to  be  screwed  upwards  into  a  trunk, 
or  well,  formed  within  the  vessel,  so  that,  on  necessity,  she 
might  draw  little  water,  all  these  advantages  might  be  ob- 
tained." Accordingly,  in  1774,  he  built  a  boat  for  Lord 
Percy,  then  at  Boston;  and  she  was  found  to  answer  all  his 
expectations. 

After  many  years'  application,  in  consequence  of  a  favorable 
report  from  the  Navy  Board,  two  vessels  were  at  length 
ordered  to  be  built  at  Deptford,  of  thirteen  tons  each,  ex- 
actly similar  in  all  respects,  in  regard  to  dimensions ;  one 
being  formed  on  the  old  construction,  arid  the  other  flat- 
bottomed,  with  three  sliding  keels.  In  J  790,  a  comparative 
trial  took  place,  in  the  presence  of  the  Commissioners  of  the 
Navy,  on  the  river  Thames,  each  vessel  having  the  same 
quantity  of  sail ;  and  although  the  vessel  formed  on  the  old 
model  had  lee-boards,  a  greater  quantity  of  ballast,  and  two 
Thames  pilots  on  board,  yet  Captain  Schanck's  beat  her,  to 
the  complete  satisfaction  of  all  present,  one  half  the  whole 
distance  sailed. 

This  experiment  proved  so  satisfactory,  that  a  king's  cutter 
of  120  tons  was  immediately  ordered  to  be  constructed  on  the 
same  plan ;  and  Captain  Schanck  was  requested  to  superintend 
her  completion.  This  vessel  was  launched  at  Plymouth,  in 
1 791,  and  named  the  Trial.  » 

"  The  bottom  of  the  vessel,"  says  Captain  Schanck,  in  a 
paper  on  the  subject,  "  should  be  formed  quite  flat,  and  the 
sides  made  to  rise  perpendicularly  from  it,  without  any  curva- 
ture, which  would  not  only  render  her  more  steady,  as  being 
more  opposed  to  the  water,  in  rolling,  but  likewise  more  con- 
venient for  stowage,  &c.  while  the  simplicity  of  the  form  would 
contribute  greatly  to  the  ease  and  expedition  with  which  she 
might  be  fabricated.  Though  diminishing  the  draught  of 
water  is,  ceteris  paribus,  undoubtedly  the  most  effectual  method 
of  augmenting  the  velocity  with  which  vessels  go  before  the 
wind,  yet  as  it  proportionally  diminishes  their  hold  of  water,  it 
renders  them  extremely  liable  to  be  driven  to  leeward,  and  al- 
together incapable  of  keeping  a  good  wind.  This  defect  may, 


ADMIRAL  SCHANCK.  399 

however,  be  remedied  in  a  simple  and  effectual  manner,  by 
proportionally  augmenting  the  depth  of  the  keel,  or  as  so  large 
a  keel  would  be  inconvenient  on  many  accounts,  proportionally 
increasing  their  number,  &c.  Thus  then  it  appears  that  a 
vessel  drawing  eight  feet  water  only,  keels  and  all,  may  be 
made  to  keep  as  good  a  wind,  or  be  as  little  liable  to  being 
driven  to  leeward,  as  the  sharpest-built  vessel  of  the  same 
length,  drawing  fourteen,  nay  twenty,  or  upwards ;  and  if  a 
few  more  keels  are  added  at  the  same  time,  that  she  would  be 
little  more  resisted  in  moving  the  line  of  the  keels  than  a  ves- 
sel drawing  six  feet  water  only.  These  keels  besides  would 
strengthen  the  vessel  considerably,  would  render  her  more 
steady,  and  less  liable  to  be  overset,  and  thereby  enable  her 
to  carry  more  sail." 

Such  were  the  principles  on  which  the  Trial  cutter  was 
constructed.  After  making  a  number  of  experiments  with  her, 
all  her  officers  certified,  on  the  21st  Feb.  1791  : — 

"  That  with  her  three  sliding  keels  she  did  tack,  wear,  and 
steer  upon  a  wind,  sail  fast  to  windward,  and  hold  a  good 
wind.  They  also  certified,  that  they  never  were  in  any  vessel 
of  her  size  or  draught  of  water,  that  sailed  faster,  or  carried  a 
greater  press  of  sail,  or  made  such  good  weather." 

She  was  inspected  again,  in  1792,  by  orders  from  the  Ad- 
miralty Board ;  and  the  report,  which  was  very  favorable, 
stated,  that  that  she  had  outsailed  the  Resolution,  Sprightly, 
and  Nimble  cutters,  as  well  as  the  Salisbury,  Nautilus,  and 
Hyaena  sloops. 

The  Cynthia  sloop  of  war,  and  the  Lady  Nelson,  were 
built  on  the  same  principle.  The  latter,  although  only  sixty 
two  tons  burden,  and  called  by  the  sailors,  in  derision,  "  His 
Majesty's  Tinder-box,"  made  a  voyage  to  New  South  Wales 
in  1800,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Grant,  and 
weathered  some  most  severe  storms  in  perfect  safety. 

After  the  commencement  of  hostilities  with  France,  conse- 
quent to  the  French  Revolution,  Captain  Schanck's  abilities 
were  considered  far  too  valuable  to  be  neglected ;  and  he  was 
accordingly  appointed  to  be  principal  agent  of  transports  in 


400  ADMIRAL  SCHANCK. 

the  expedition  sent  to  the  West  Indies,  under  the  orders  of 
Admiral  Sir  John  Jervis,  and  General  Sir  Charles  Grey.  This 
fatiguing  and  important  service  he  executed,  not  only  with 
the  strictest  diligence,  but  with  an  attention  to  the  national 
finances,  uncommon,  and  perhaps  unprecedented.  *  He  re- 
mained some  time  at  Martinico,  after  the  capture  of  that 
valuable  island. 

So  conspicuous  was  his  assiduity  in  the  preceding  service, 
that  when  the  reverses  of  war  compelled  the  British  troops  to 
quit  Flanders,  and  retire  into  Holland,  whither  they  were  fol- 
lowed by  the  armies  of  the  French  Convention,  Captain 
Schanck  was  appointed  superintendant  of  all  the  vessels  em- 
ployed in  the  various  services  of  conveying  either  troops, 
stores,  or  property,  from  one  country  to  the  other ;  and  his 
exertions  tended  at  least  to  reduce  disaster  within  its  narrow- 
est possible  limits. 

The  acquisition  of  coast  gained  by  the  enemy,  and  the  ge- 
neral complexion  of  public  affairs,  causing  an  apprehension 
that  an  attempt  might  be  made  to  invade  Britain,  a  new  and 
formidable  system  of  defence  was,  by  the  orders  of  the  Ad- 
miralty Board  projected,  arranged,  and  completely  carried 
into  execution,  under  the  direction  of  Captain  Schanck.  In 
short,  the  defence  of  the  whole  coast,  from  Portsmouth  to 
Berwick-upon -Tweed,  was  confided  to  him  ;  and  few  com- 
mands have  ever  been  bestowed  of  more  magnitude  and  im- 
portance, or  requiring  more  extensive  abilities.  The  objects 
he  had  to  attain  were  infinitely  more  multifarious  than  gene- 
rally fall  to  the  lot  either  of  a  land  or  of  a  naval  officer ;  for  he 
was  not  only  under  the  necessity  of  contriving  and  construct- 
ing a  variety  of  rafts,  and  vessels  of  different  descriptions, 
capable  of  receiving  cannon,  but  he  was  also  compelled  to  fit 
and  adapt  for  the  same  purpose,  the  greater  part  even  of  the 
small  boats  which  he  found  employed  in  different  occupations 

*  During  the  West  India  campaign,  in  1 794, 46  masters  of  transports,  and  1 100 
of  their  men,  died  of  the  yellow  fever.  On  board  one  vessel  the  disease  raged 
with  such  violence,  that  the  mate,  the  only  survivor,  was  obliged  to  scull  his  boat 
on  shore,  to  fetch  off  negroes  to  throw  the  dead  overboard  j  and  he  himself  died 
soon  after. 


ADMIRAL    SCHANCK.  401 

on  the  coast.  When  even  these  difficulties  were  overcome, 
he  had  still  to  undergo  the  task  of  teaching  the  inhabitants 
throughout  the  several  districts,  the  art  of  fighting  and  ma- 
naging this  heterogeneous,  though  highly  serviceable  flotilla, 
in  case  the  necessity  of  the  country  should  be  such  as  to  re- 
quire their  personal  exertions.  To  have  overcome  these  mul- 
tiplied difficulties  would,  in  itself,  be  a  matter  of  sufficient 
praise  to  entitle  a  man  to  the  highest  tribute  public  gratitude 
could  bestow,  were  every  other  occasion  that  could  call  for  it 
wanting. 

In  1799,  Captain  Schanck  was  again  appointed  to  superin- 
tend the  transport  service  connected  with  the  expedition  to 
Holland ;  and  on  the  formation  of  the  Transport  Board,  he  was 
nominated  one  of  the  C&mmissioners  ;  a  station  he  continued 
to  hold  with  the  highest  credit  and  honour  to  himself,  till  the 
year  1802;  when,  in  consequence  of  an  ophthalmic  complaint, 
he  was  under  the  necessity  of  retiring  from  the  fatigues  of 
public  service. 

On  the  promotion  of  Flag-Officers,  which  took  place  Nov.  9. 
1805,  Commissioner  Schanck  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Rear-Admiral.  He  became  a  Vice-Admiral,  July  31.  1810; 
and  an  Admiral  of  the  Blue,  July  19.  1821. 

Admiral  Schanck  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
Society  for  improving  Naval  Architecture,  set  on  foot  by  the 
late  eccentric  John  Sewell,  the  bookseller ;  and  some  of  the 
papers  published  by  that  Institution  were  the  productions  of 
this  ingenious  officer.  He  appears  also  to  have  been  the  in- 
ventor of  gun-boats  with  moveable  slides,  for  firing  guns  in 
any  direction.  He  likewise  fitted  the  Wolverine  sloop  with 
the  inclined  plane  in  her  gun-carriages,  which  is  justly  consi- 
dered as  the  greatest  modern  invention  in  gunnery. 

Admiral  Schanck  married  Miss  Grant,  the  sister  of  the  late 
Master  of  the  Rolls,  by  whom  he  had  a  daughter,  who  mar- 
ried, in  1800,  Capt.  John  Wright,  R.  N.  and  who  died 
May  6.  1812,  leaving  a  young  family. 

On  the  6th  of  March,  1823,  Admiral  Schanck  died,  at 
Dawlish,  in  Devonshire,  in  the  83d  year  of  his  age.  We 

VOL.  VIII.  D    D 


402  ADMIRAL     SCHANCK. 

cannot  close  this  memoir  of  him  more  satisfactorily  than  with 
the  following  just  eulogium  on  his  character,  which  appeared 
in  several  of  the  public  prints  soon  after  his  decease. 

"All  to  whom  Admiral  Schanck  was  personally  known, 
have  lost  a  friend  not  likely  to  be  replaced  ;  the  middle  class 
for  miles  round  his  abode,  a  kind  adviser  in  all  their  difficul- 
ties ;  the  poor  a  hospitable  benefactor,  who  never  heard  their 
tale  of  woe  without  administering  to  their  wants.  Like  a 
great  philanthropist,  the  late  Doctor  Jenner,  he  spurned  at 
private  aggrandisement,  and,  without  ostentation,  gave  the 
results  of  his  mechanical  genius  and  fertile  mind  for  the  public 
good.  From  his  loss  of  sight,  he  had  for  some  years  retired 
from  public  life ;  but  nature  appeared  to  have  compensated 
for  this  privation  by  a  pre-eminent  extension  of  his  other 
faculties.  His  mechanical  inventions  have  been  long  before 
the  world,  and  entitle  him  to  rank  with  the  ingenious  of  his 
day ;  while  his  character  as  an  officer  and  a  man  gave  him 
a  claim  to  the  respect  and  esteem  of  society  at  large." 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX 


OF  DEATHS, 

FOR  1823. 


COMPILED    IN   PART    FROM    ORIGINAL    PAPERS,    AND    IN    PART 
FROM   CONTEMPORARY   PUBLICATIONS. 


A. 


A  LEXANDER,  Edward,  Esq. 
•"•  M.  D.  of  Danett's-Hall,  near 
Leicester;  November  27,  1822;  after 
a  series  of  intense  and  protracted  suf- 
ferings, which  were  borne  with  exem- 
plary fortitude  and  resignation. 

As  the  particulars  of  his  distressing 
case  cannot  properly  be  detailed  here ;  it 
will  be  sufficient  to  remark,  that  his 
disorder,  which  had  long  been  making 
insidious  approaches,  first  manifested 
itself  in  June  1810,  and  soon  began  to 
wear  a  formidable  aspect.  A  state  of 
peculiarly  painful  and  complicated  dis- 
ease gradually  ensued,  clouded  all  the 
bright  prospects  which  his  successful 
medical  career  had  opened  to  his  view, 
and  compelled  him  to  relinquish  the 
practical  part  of  an  occupation,  to  which 
he  was  exceedingly  devoted  and  admira- 
bly adapted.  The  few  intervals  Dr.  A. 
was  permitted  to  enjoy  of  comparative 
ease  from  agonizing  pain,  were  usually 
passed  in  reading,  meditation,  and  do- 
mestic society.  Theology  and  medicine 
were  the  subjects  to  which  he  princi- 
pally directed  his  attention.  On  these 
he  had,  for  many  years,  read  much,  and 
thought  still  more. 

His  purity  of  character  from  early 

life,  his  extraordinary  moral  worth,  as 


well  as  knowledge  and  skill  in  his  pro- 
fession, have  rarely  been  equalled.  Nor 
was  his  ardent  and  vigorous  mind  satis- 
fied  with  the  exercise  of  his  medical 
functions  only :  rising  above  every  selfish 
consideration,  he  carried  into  his  prac- 
tice the  most  exalted  Christian  virtues. 
He  was  not  merely  the  able  physician, 
but  the  sympathizing  friend  and  com- 
forter of  his  patients;  he  listened  to 
their  wants  and  sorrows,  was  prompt 
to  aid  them  by  his  advice,  to  pour  in 
the  balm  of  consolation,  or  to  relieve 
their  necessities;  as  their  respective  situa- 
tions and  circumstances  might  require. 
In  the  performance  of  his  professional 
duties  he  was  strictly  conscientious.  No 
"respect  of  persons"  did  he  shew;  the 
rich  and  the  poor  partook  impartially  of 
his  care  and  assiduity.  To  the  latter 
his  services  were  gratuitous  ;  and  like- 
wise, in  a  considerable  degree,  to  others, 
who  could  not,  without  difficulty,  afford 
to  make  him  a  suitable  remuneration. 
His  bountiful  hand  was  ever  open  to 
the  claims  of  the  indigent  and  the  op- 
pressed ;  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life, 
the  same  ardour,  the -same  uprightness 
and  integrity,  the  same  unwearied  ac- 
tivity, distinguished  his  conduct  A  re- 
markable sweetness  of  disposition,  and 
strong  intellectual  powers,  were  in  him 
combined  with  uncommon  "  singleness 
D  2 


404? 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


of  heart. "  His  ruling  principle  was  love 
to  God,  displayed  in  a  warm  and  disin- 
terested love  of  man,  wholly  free  from 
party  spirit  and  narrow  distinctions. 
Devotion  was  his  delight,  studying  the 
Scriptures  his  dearest  employment,  and 
his  hope  rested  on  the  mercies  of  God  in 
Christ.  Perhaps  Dr.  A.  did  not  entirely 
agree  with  any  denomination  of  Chris- 
tians ;  but  serious  reflection,  and  patient 
investigation,  led  him  to  a  conviction 
of  the  truth  of  the  leading  tenets  of 
Unitarianism ;  and  from  the  time  of 
his  settling  in  the  vicinity  of  Leicester, 
he  joined  the  congregation  assembling 
at  the  "  Great  Meeting"  in  that  town. 
In  politics  he  embraced  the  liberal  side 
of  the  question,  and  was  always  the 
firm  and  strenuous  advocate  of  civil  and 
religious  freedom.  Every  project  for 
the  benefit  of  his  country,  and  the  ad- 
vancement of  knowledge,  liberty,  and 
truth,  obtained  his  zealous  support. 

His  judgment  of  those  who  differed 
from  him  was  uniformly  candid  and 
generous  ;  and  never  did  he  retain  the 
slightest  malevolent  or  unkind  senti- 
ment against  persons,  from  whom  he 
had  experienced  undeserved  or  injurious 
treatment. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  imperfect 
outline  was  the  younger  son  of  the  late 
John  Alexander,  M.  D.  of  Halifax,  was 
born  Nov.  25.  1767,  and  received  his 
classical  education  atHipperholm  school, 
which  then  was,  and  still  is,  under  the 
superintendance  of  the  Rev.  Richard 
Hudson,  who,  for  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury, has  officiated  as  afternoon  lecturer 
at  the  parish  church  in  Halifax. 

Dr.  A.  possessed  the  advantage  of 
being  well  initiated  in  the  various 
branches  of  his  profession  during  his 
early  youth.  At  the  usual  period,  he 
went  to  London  to  pursue  his  anatomi- 
cal studies,  and  there  became  a  pupil  of 
Sir  William  Blizard.  Having  accom- 
plished his  object  in  the  metropolis,  he 
repaired  to  Edinburgh,  and  finally  took 
his  degree  at  Leyden,  with  the  highest 
honour,  in  October  J  791. 

In  the  year  1793  he  married  his  first 
cousin  Ellen,  the  eldest  daughter  and 
co-heiress  of  the  late  Samuel  Water- 
house,  Esq.  of  Halifax,  one  of  the  jus- 
tices of  the  peace  for  the  West,  Riding 
of  the  county  of  York,  and  a  deputy 
lieutenant  for  the  same  district. 

Dr.  A.  fixed  at  Stafford,  and  was  di- 
rectly appointed  physician  to  the  county 
infirmary.  Hercmoved  into  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Leicester,  October  1797, 


where  he  continued  to  reside  till  his 
deeply-lamented  death.  All  who  knew 
him  must  regret  him,  and  to  his  im- 
mediate friends  his  loss  is  irreparable. 

ARROWSMITH,  A.  Esq.  April 
16th;  in  Soho-square ;  aged  73;  the 
eminent  geographer,  celebrated  as  a 
constructor  of  maps  and  charts,  through- 
out Europe  and  America. 

ASGTLL,  General  Sir  Charles, 
Bart.  Colonel  of  the  llth  regiment  of 
Foot.  He  was  the  third  child  and  only 
son  'of  Sir  Charles,  first  baronet,  by  his 
second  wife,  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
Pratville,  Esq.  secretary  to  Sir  Benj. 
Harris,  ambassador  at  the  court  of 
Madrid. 

Sir  Charles  entered  the  service  on  the 
27th  of  February,  1778,  as  an  Ensign  in 
the  1st  Foot  Guards,  and  obtained  a 
Lieutenancy,  with  tlie  rank  of  Captain, 
in  the  same  regiment,  on  February  3. 
1781.  He  went  to  America  in  the  same 
year,  joined  the  army  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  Marquis  Cornwallis,  served 
the  whole  of  the  campaigns,  was  taken 
prisoner  with  the  army  in  October,  at 
the  siege  of  York  Town  in  Virginia, 
and  sent  up  the  country,  where  he  re- 
mained till  May  1782,  at  which  period 
all  the  Captains  of  that  army  were  or- 
dered by  General  Washington  to  assem- 
ble and  draw  lots,  that  one  might  be  se- 
lected to  suffer  death,  by  way  of  retalia- 
tion, for  the  death  of  an  American  officer, 
Captain  Hardy,  whom  our  Govern- 
ment refused  to  deliver  up,  for  political 
reasons,  although  General  Washington 
demanded  it.  The  lot  fell  on  Sir 
Charles  Asgill,  and  he  was,  in  conse- 
quence, conveyed  under  a  strong  escort 
to  the  place  intended  for  his  execution, 
in  the  Jerseys,  where  he  remained  in 
prison,  enduring  peculiar  hardships 
for  the  space  of  six  months,  expect- 
ing daily  that  his  execution  would  take 
place. 

Sir  Charles  was  unexpectedly  released 
from  his  confinement  by  an  Act  of  Con- 
gress, passed  at  the  intercession  of  the 
Queen  of  France>  who,  deeply  affected 
by  a  most  eloquent  and  pathetic  appeal 
from  his  mother,  Lady  Asgill,  humanely 
interfered,  and  obtained  his  release.  He 
returned  to  England  on  parole,  and 
shortly  after  went  to  Paris  to  make  his 
acknowledgments  to  the  Queen  of 
France,  for  having  saved  his  life. 

He  succeeded  his  father  in  the  baro- 
netcy in  1778  ;  married  in  1 788  Jemima 
Sophia,daughter  of  Admiral  Sir  Chaloner 
Ogle,  Knight.  He  was  soon  after  ap- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


4-05 


poifltedEquerry  to  his  Royal  Highness  the 
Duke  of  York,  and  promoted  on  the  3d  of 
March,  1 790,  to  acompany  in  the  G uards, 
with  the  rank  of  Lieutenant- Colonel. 
He  was  ordered,  towards  the  end  of 
1793,  to  the  Continent,  joined  the  army 
under  the  Duke  of  York,  served  the 
campaign  in  Flanders,  was  present 
during  the  whole  of  the  retreat  through 
Holland  in  the  severe  winter  of  1794, 
and  subsequently  returned  to  England. 
He  received  the  rank  of  Colonel  on  the 
26th  of  February,  1795,  and  command- 
ed a  battalion  of  the  Guards  the  same 
year,  at  Warley  Camp.  He  was  ap- 
pointed, in  1797,  Brigadier- General  on 
the  Staff  in  Ireland ;  received  the  rank  of 
Major- General  the  1st  of  January,  1798, 
and  was  very  actively  employed  during 
the  rebellion  of  that  year.  He  was  ap- 
pointed Colonel  of  tluf  46th  foot  the  9th 
of  May,  1800,  and  placed  in  t^ie  com- 
mand of  the  garrison  of  Dublin,  and  oc- 
casionally of  the  Camps  of  Instruction, 
which  were  formed  on  the  Curragh.  He 
was  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant- 
General  on  the  1st  of  January,  1805, 
and  appointed  Colonel  of  the  5th  West 
India  regiment  in  February,  1806.  He 
obtained  the  Colonelcy  of  the  85th  foot, 
in  October,  1806,  and  that  of  the  llth 
foot,  on  the  25th  February,  1807,  for 
which  regiment  he  raised  a  second  bat- 
talion in  the  space  of  six  months. 

Sir  Charles  Asgill  continued  on  the 
Staff  till  1812,  and  was  promoted  on  the 
4th  of  June,  1814,  to  the  rank  of  Ge- 
neral. 

He  was  educated  in  a  thorough  know- 
ledge of  the  multifarious  services  and 
duties  of  a  military  life,  which  he  car- 
ried into  practice  to  his  own  fame,  and 
the  advantage  of  his  country.  His  ser- 
vices in  the  American  war,  as  a  Captain 
of  the  Guards,  were  of  a  pre-eminent 
nature,  and  he  also  distinguished  him- 
self in  the  revolutionary  war,  and  par- 
ticularly during  the  rebellion  in  Ireland. 

ASHBURNHAM,  Sir  William, 
bart.  Aug.  21st,  at  his  seat,  Broom- 
ham  Place,  Guestling,  aged  87  years. 
He  was  eldest  son  of  the  Right  Rev. 
Sir  William  Ashburnham,  bart.  Lord 
Bishop  of  Chichester,  by  Margaret, 
daughter  of  Thos.  Pelham,  of  Lewes, 
co.  Sussex,  esq.  ;  succeeded  his  father, 
Sept.  4.  1797  ;  married  Anne,  daughter 
of  Rev.  Francis  Woodgate,  of  Mount- 
lield,  -co.  Sussex,  by  whom  he  had  issue 
four  sons  and  one  daughter. 

His  death  will  be  long  lamented  by 
the  poor,  who,  when  ill,  were  always  al- 


lowed nourishment  from  his  house ;  and 
on  Doling-day,  Sir  William  had  for  se- 
veral years  made  a  practice  of  giving 
each  poor  family  flour,  in  proportion  to 
their  number.  So  liberal  was  he  to- 
wards his  tenants,  that  they  paid  only 
the  same  amount  of  rent  for  their  farms 
as  they  did  to  his  father. 

ASHBURTON,  the  Right  Hon. 
Richard  Barr^  Dunning,  Baron  of;  Feb. 
15th  ;  at  Friars  Hall,  near  Melrose,  in 
his  41st  year.  He  was  youngest,  but 
only  surviving  son  of  John,  1st  Lord, 
by  Elizabeth,  daughter 'of  John  Baring, 
Esq.  of  Larkbear,  county  of  Devon,  and 
was  born  Sept.  20.  1782.  On  the  death 
of  his  father,  Aug.  18.  1783,  who  was 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  pleaders  of 
the  English  Bar,  he,  then  only  eleven 
months  old,  succeeded  to  the  title  and 
estates.  He  married,  September  17. 
1805,  Anne,  daughter  of  the  late  Wil- 
liam Cunningham,  Esq.  of  Lainshaw, 
but  leaving  no  issue,  the  title  becomes 
extinct.  The  death  of  this  respectable 
Nobleman  will  be  felt  in  the  county  of 
Sutherland,  to  which  he  was  long  and 
sincerely  attached,  as  an  irreparable 
loss.  His  Lordship  was  a  kind  and 
steady  benefactor  to  all  the  poor  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  his  romantic  seat  of 
Rosehall,  and  spent  annually  large 
sums  of  money  in  beautifying'and  im- 
proving his  property  there,  whereby  he 
gave  constant  employment  to  all  his  in- 
dustrious  tenants. 


B. 


BABINGTON,  Stephen,  Esq.  of 
the  Bombay  Civil  Service,  May  19th, 
1822,  at  Tannah,  in  his  32d  year.  Mr. 
Babington's  death  was  occasioned  by  an 
accident  which  occurred  while  assisting, 
with  his  characteristic  humanity,  to  ex- 
tinguish a  fire.  He  was  the  son  of  Dr. 
Babington,  of  London,  and  grandson 
of  Stephen  Hough,  of  Tavistock-street, 
Bedford-square,  the  amiable  and  excel- 
lent friend  of  every  charity  in  the  me- 
tropolis. 

IVIr.  Babington  wns  educated  at  the 
East  India  College,  at  Hertford,  where 
he  highly  distinguished  himself.  He  ar- 
rived in  India  in  1808,  and  was  succes- 
sively Private  Secretary  to  the  Governor, 
Secretary  to  the  government,  Judge  and 
Magistrate  of  the  Northern  Concan,  and 
fourth  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Sadder 
Adawlut  and  Sudder  Foujdary  Adaw- 
lut.  As  a  Judge,  his  patience,  his  un- 
3 


406 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX    FOR  1823. 


ruffled  temper,  his  longsuffering  with 
the  ignorance,  and  even  with  the  inevit- 
able vices  of  those  among  whom  he  had 
to  administer  the  laws  in  mercy,  were 
quite  exemplary.  They  acquired  him 
in  the  first  instance  the  confidence,  and 
finally,  combined  with  his  unwearied 
benevolence,  the  love  of  all  around  him, 
He  became  venerated  as  the  father  of 
his  district,  where  his  advice  was  a  law 
with  persons  of  every  rank.  His  cool 
and  unimpassioned  judgment,  his  wide 
and  accurate  range  of  observation,  his 
singular  rectitude  of  understanding  in 
all  he  did  or  thought,  his  sound  and 
liberal  views  of  public  law  and  policy, 
became  daily  more  visible  ;  and  excited 
the  respect  not  unmixed  with  surprise, 
even  of  many  who  had  long  known  him, 
but  who  had  not  detected  the  uncom- 
mon powers  of  his  mind,  under  the  veil 
thrown  over  them  by  his  modesty,  and 
by  the  simplicity  of  his  habits.  Young 
as  he  was,  he  rose  rapidly  without  envy 
to  the  very  first  rank  in  the  esteem  of 
his  fellow  servants,  and  he  had  hardly 
attained  the  high  station  that  was  his 
due,  when  he  was  torn  from  his  friends 
and  his  country  by  an  untimely  fate.  He 
had  for  some  time  been  engaged  in  su- 
perintending a  revisal  of  the  regulations 
of  the  Presidencyof  Bombay,  for  which 
his  temper  of  mind  and  the  extent  of 
his  knowledge  eminently  qualified  him. 
The  sense  entertained  of  his  merits  in 
that  task  by  a  Government  that  knows 
how  to  appreciate  excellence,  may  be 
discovered  by  the  terms  in  which  his 
loss  is  commemorated,  and  which  now 
form  his  best  eulogium. 

Extract  of  a  Letter  to  the  Court  of  Sudder 
Adawlut ;  dated  the  29th  May,  1 822. 

"  The  Honourable  the  Governor  in 
Council  has  received  intelligence  of  the 
death  of  the  fourth  Judge  of  your 
Court,  Mr.  Babington,  while  on  cir^ 
cuit  at  the  Northern  Concan,  on  the 
19th  instant,  and  directs  me  to  express 
to  you  his  sense  of  the  loss  which  the 
Service  has  sustained  by  that  melancholy 
event. 

"  Mr.  Babington's  intelligence,  pa- 
tience, and  knowledge  of  the  natives, 
eminently  qualified  him  for  his  judicial 
duties  ;  and  in  the  more  important  task 
of  revising  the  code,  his  views  were  as 
sober  as  extensive  ;  his  temper  both  firm 
and  candid  ;  and  his  judgment  of  what 
was  due  to  the  Government  was  not 
sacrificed  even  to  his  characteristical 
tenderness  to  his  people." 


It  is  still  more  difficult  to  do  justice 
to  his  private  than  to  his  public  virtues, 
A  mild  and  cheerful  benevolence  per- 
vaded and  tempered  the  whole  of  his 
character.  He  was  perhaps  somewhat 
inclined  to  indolence,  unless  when  he 
had  a  friend  to  serve  or  a  duty  to  per- 
form. His  character  then  seemed  to 
be  changed,  and  all  his  faculties  were 
lighted  up  with  ardour  and  activity. 
He  had  nothing  of  selfishness  in  his 
composition  ;  and  what,  in  one  of  his 
warm  attachments  and  ardent  feelings 
is  even  more  rare,  he  seemed  hardly  to 
know  what  resentment  meant.  The 
disagreeable  occurrences  that  met  him 
in  life,  he  softened  by  good-humoured 
raillery,  and  disarmed  by  temper.  He 
probably  has  not  left  a  single  enemy 
behind  him.  He  died  as  he  had  lived, 
imbued  with  a  sober  and  sincere  sense 
of  religion  :  and  though  called  away 
from  the  prospects  of  honour  and  repu- 
tation that  were  inviting  him,  the  en- 
dearments of  an  affectionate  family  to 
which  he  was  fondly  attached,  and  the 
affection  of  friends  by  whom  he  was 
tenderly  beloved  :  he  resigned  them  all 
as  became  a  good  and  a  brave  man, 
with  unalterable  firmness  ;  not  certainly 
without  regret,  but  without  repining. 

The  estimation  in  which  a  man  is 
held  may  sometimes  be  known  by  slight 
incidents.  Mr.  Babington  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  was  only  on  a  casual  visit 
to  Tannah  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty 
as  Judge  of  Circuit.  It  was  singular 
that  so  circumstanced,  he  should  have 
received  his  last  summons  in  the  midst 
of  those  among  whom  he  had  passed  so 
many  years  respected  and  revered.  The 
natives  of  India  are  generally  accused 
of  coldness  of  temper  and  of  ingrati- 
tude. If  such  be  the  case,  his  singular 
virtues  had  the  power  to  dissolve  even 
their  indifference.  The  inhabitants  of 
Tannah,  from  the  time  he  sustained  the 
fatal  injury,  remained  in  crowds  near 
the  house  of  his  friend,  Mr.  Mariott,  to 
which  he  had  been  carried,  waiting  with 
the  keenest  anxiety  for  intelligence  re- 
garding him,  and  messengers  passed 
backward  and  forward  to  report  the  state 
of  his  health  till  he  had  breathed  his  last. 
The  crowd  then  silently  dispersed,  but 
in  the  evening,  watching  the  hour  for 
his  funeral,  they  assembled  to  the  num- 
ber of  several  thousands,  and  followed 
his  remains  to  the  grave  with  every  de- 
monstration of  respect  and  sorrow. 

BAILEY,  Mr.    Peter,    Editor  of 
the   Weekly   Periodical    Paper    called 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


407 


The  Museum  ;  January  25  ;  sud- 
denly in  a  coach,  on  his  way  to  the 
Italian  Opera,  by  the  bursting  of  an 
aneurism  of  the  aorta  in  his  inside.  Mr. 
Bailey  possessed  considerable  literary 
acquirements,  and  he  was  about  pur- 
suing his  avocation  in  attending  the 
Opera,  for  the  purpose  of  making  his 
observations  on  the  same,  arid  on  the 
performers,  for  the  publication  of  which 
he  was  the  editor,  when  his  sudden  death 
took  place.  He  left  a  wife  and  three 
children  to  bewail  their  loss. 

Mr.  Bailey  was  the  son  of  a  solicitor 
near  Nantwich,  who  had  realised  great 
property  in  Cheshire.  His  scholastic 
career  commenced  at  Rugby,  and  con- 
tinued at  Merton  College,  Oxford, 
from  whence  he  removed  to  London, 
and  entered  at  the  temple  to  follow  an- 
other branch  of  the  profession  of  his 
father.  Instead  of  following  the  law, 
Mr.  B.  seems  to  have  let  the  Haw  fol- 
low him,  until  it  left  him,  where  it 
frequently  does  the  more  mercurial  spi- 
rits, carried  along  in  this  gay  metro- 
polis, like  atoms  in  the  system  of  Des 
Cartes.  We  make  no  hesitation  in  al- 
luding to  this  period  of  Mr.  B.'s  life, 
since  it  enables  us  to  direct  the  atten- 
tion of  our  readers  to  a  publication  of 
his,  which  does  equal  credit  to  the  pen 
and  pencil  of  the  author,  viz  :  "  Sketches 
from  St.  George's  Fields,  by  Gior- 
gione  di  Castel  Chiuso." 

Mr.  Bailey's  first  essays  were  in  the 
higher  flight  of  epic  poetry  ;  some  spe- 
cimens of  his  power  were  shown  in  a 
printed,  but  not  published,  volume, 
under  the  title  of  "  Idwal."  The  poem, 
of  which  only  portions  are  there  given, 
but  the  whole,  or  at  least  the  greater 
part,  of  which  has  been  left  in  MS.  by 
the  author,  was  founded  on  the  events 
connected  with  the  conquest  of  Wales. 
At  the  end  of  the  same  volume  is  a 
Greek  poem,  originally  published  in 
the  Classical  Journal,  a  few  years  ago. 
The  last  publication  of  Mr.  B.  was  an 
anonymous  poem,  called,  "  A  Queen's 
Appeal,"  of  165  stanzas,  in  the  Spenser 
measure. 

BALFOUR,  General  Nisbet,  Oct. 
10th,  at  Denbigh,  co.  Fife,  at  an  ad- 
vanced age.  General  Balfour  was  Co- 
lonel of  the  39th  Foot.  He  entered  the 
service  as  an  Ensign  in  the  4th  Foot,  in 
1761,  obtained  his  Lieutenancy  in  17b'5, 
and  his  company  in  1770.  He  was  at 
the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill  in  1775,  and 
wounded,  in  the  action  at  the  landing 
on  Long  Island,  at  the  capture  of  Brook- 


lyn, and  at  the  taking  of  New  York  in 
1776,  on  which  occasion  he  was  sent 
home  by  the  Commander-in-chief  with 
dispatches,  and  received,  in  consequence, 
the  brevet  of  major.  He  was  present 
in  the  action  near  Elizabeth  Town,  in 
the  Jerseys,  in  the  spring  of  1777,  in 
the  engagements  of  Brandywine  and 
Germantown,  at  the  siege  of  Charles- 
town,  and  served  under  Lord  Cornwal- 
lis  part  of  the  campaign  after  the  sur- 
render of  the  latter  place.  He  was 
appointed  Lieut. -colonel  of  the  23rd 
Foot  in  1778,  and  Colonel  and  Aide- 
de-Camp  to  the  King  in  1782.  He 
served  part  of  the  campaign  in  1794  in 
Flanders  and  Holland;  received  the 
rank  of  Major-general,  12th  October, 
1793  ;  the  Colonelcy  of  the  39th  Foot, 
2d  July,  1 794 ;  the  rank  of  Lieut-gene- 
ral 1st  Jan.  1798;  and  that  of  General, 
the  25th  Sept.  1803. 

General  Nisbet  Balfour  had  never 
been  on  half-pay. 

BAMFYLDE,Sir  Charles  Warwick, 
bart.  P.  C.  L.,  of  Poltimore,  in  the 
county  of  Devon,  and  Hardington  park, 
in  the  county  of  Somerset,  and  formerly 
M.  P.  for  Exeter;  April  19th. 

Sir  Charles's  death  was  occasioned 
by  being  shot  by  a  man  named  Morland, 
whose  wife  lived  in  the  service  of  Sir 
Charles ;  and  who,  after  he  had  shot 
him,  discharged  the  contents  of  another 
pistol  in  his  own  head,  which  killed  him 
on  the  spot.  Sir  Charles  having  ex- 
pressed a  wish  that  the  cause  of  his  death 
should  be  ascertained,  his  body  was 
opened,  and  the  following  is  the  correct 
report . 

"  The  ball  entered  on  the  left  side 
between  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  ribs, 
fracturing  the  articulation  of  the  former 
with  the  spine,  and  then  passed  across, 
grazing  the  diaphragm  or  floor  of  the 
chest,  but  not  injuring  the  lungs,  and 
lodged  on  the  inside  of  the  interior  part 
of  the  cavity  between  the  ninth  and 
tenth  ribs,  a  part  of  the  ball  being  un- 
covered and  visible  from  the  inside. — 
Signed,  &c." 

It  appeared  that  his  death  was  not 
produced  so  much  by  the  injury  occa- 
sioned by  the  ball,  as  from  a  piece  of 
brass  wire  which  was  carried  into  the 
wound  along  with  the  ball,  which  wire 
formed  part  of  the  spring  of  his  braces. 
Every  attempt  to  extract  it  proved  abor- 
tive ;  it  corroded  and  gangrened  within 
the  wound,  and  ultimately  produced 
mortification. 

On  hearing  of  the  dreadful  wound  of 
j>  D  4 


408 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823, 


Sir  Charles  Bamfyldc,  lady  Bamfylde, 
who  had  lived  for  several  years  in  a 
state  of  separation  from  her  husband, 
repaired  to  London  to  attend  upon  Sir 
Charles,  and  to  administer  to  his  com- 
fort. 

He  was  descended  from  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  distinguished  families 
in  Devonshire  ;  being  the  fifth  Baronet 
in  lineal  descent  from  the  reign  of 
Charles  I.  and  his  ancestors  are  known 
to  have  been  the  Lords  Pol ti more, 
near  Exeter,  as  early  as  1272.  He 
was  born  Jan.  23,  1 753 ;  succeeded  his 
father,  Sir  Richard- Warwick,  Aug.  15. 
1776;  married  in  the  same  year  the 
eldest  daughter  of  Sir  John  Moore,  Bart, 
by  whom  he  had  issue,  George  Warwick 
Bamfylde,  Esq.  who  succeeds  him  in  his 
title  and  estates,  and  one  other  son. 
Sir  Charles,  after  being  educated  at  one 
of  our  great  public  seminaries,  repaired 
to  Oxford,  where  he  received  the  degree 
of  D.  C.  L.  At  a  proper  age  he  was 
returned  Member  for  Exeter,  which  city 
he  represented  in  seven  Parliaments. 

His  remains,  on  April  28,  arrived  at 
Hardington  park,  and  on  the  following 
day  were  consigned  to  the  family  vault, 
in  Hardington  church,  attended  by  his 
two  sons,  and  a  few  of  his  intimate 
neighbours  ;  also  by  a  vast  body  of  his 
tenantry,  eager  to  pay  the  last  tribute 
of  respect  to  the  memory  of  one  who 
always  proved  himself  a  most  kind  and 
liberal  landlord. — The  service  was  per- 
formed in  a  very  impressive  manner  by 
the  Rev.  J.  R.  Joliffe,  of  Ammerdown. 
Thus  finished  the  career  of  a  man  who 
was  a  generous  and  indulgent  parent, 
the  life  and  soul  of  every  social  circle, 
and  whose  loss  will  be  most  deeply 
deplored. 

BARRY,  Colonel  Henry,  Nov.  2. 
at  his  lodgings  in  Bath,  in  his  73rd  year. 
Colonel  Barry  was  a  gentleman  well 
known  and  equally  valued  among  the 
higher,  scientific,  and  literary  circles  of* 
that  city.  He  was  Lord  Rawdon's 
(the  present  Marquis  of  Hastings) 
aide-de-camp  and  private  secretary  in 
America,  and  penned  some  of  the  best 
written  dispatches  which  were  ever 
transmitted  from  any  army  on  service  to 
the  British  Cabinet.  Additional  repu- 
tion  as  an  officer  was  reflected  on  him 
by  his  service  in  India :  on  his  return 
from  whence,  before  the  commencement 
of  the  war  with  France,  he  retired  from 
the  army, 

BARRY,  Mrs.  Judith,  and  her  sis- 
tpr  Mrs.  Catharine  ;  the  former  Jan.  18. 
3 


the  latter  Jan.  22 ;  the  former  8O, 
the  latter  90  years  of  age.  They  were 
aunts  to  the  late,  and  great-aunts  to  the 
present  Lord  Doneraile,  and  were  in 
other  instances  nobly  related.  In  tlie 
year  1813  both  of  them  underwent  the 
operation  of  couching,  and  retained  their 
sight  to  the  last. 

B ARTLAM,  the  Rev.  John, Feb. 27. 
in  London,  of  an  apoplexy.  Mr. 
Bartlam  was  born  at  Alcester,  War- 
wickshire, July  1770.  His  maternal 
ancestors  were  members  of  the  church 
of  England ;  his  paternal,  down  to  his 
grandfather,  belonged  to  the  church  of 
Rome ;  his  father,  with  a  well-cultivated 
understanding  and  polished  manners, 
was  admitted  to  an  early  intimacy  with 
the  late  Marquis  of  Hertford,  by  whose 
kindness  he  was  appointed  first  to  a  mi- 
litary, and  afterwards  to  a  civil  employ- 
ment. While  he  was  pursuing  his  fa- 
vourite amusement  of  fishing,  in  an  arm 
of  the  sea,  near  Orford  in  Suffolk,  the 
boat  was  suddenly  overset,  and  he  was 
drowned  within  the  sight  of  his  villa, 
leaving  behind  him  a  wife  and  three  sons, 
After  the  decease  of  her  beloved  hus- 
band, Mrs.  Bartlam  fixed  her  abode  at 
Alcester,  where  she  received  many 
courteous  attentions,  and  many  import- 
ant services,  from  the  noble  family  at 
Ragley.  Thomas,  the  eldest  son,  after 
a  short  stay  as  Colleger  at  Eton,  wa* 
removed  to  Rugby  school,  where  his 
brothers  Robert  and  John  had  been 
placed,  under  the  care  of  the  late  Dr. 
James,  who  had  meritoriously  intro- 
duced the  Eton  plan  of  instruction,  and 
thus  laid  the  foundations  of  all  the  ce- 
lebrity which  that  seminary  afterwards 
acquired,  and  now  deservedly  retains. 
In  the  winter  of  1786,  he  had  the  mis- 
fortune  to  be  in  the  number  of  those 
boys  who,  in  consequence  of  disobedi- 
ence, were  sent  away.  Hearing  tliat  his 
case  was  accompanied  by  many  circum- 
stances of  mitigation,  Dr,  Parr  made 
some  enquiries  into  his  general  charac- 
ter, and  finding  that  he  was  a  good  scho- 
lar, and  had  stood  high  in  the  esteem 
of  his  master,  the  Doctor  applied  for 
permission  to  take  him  as  a  pupil.  The 
request  was  granted  by  Dr.  James,  and 
Mr.  Bartlam  came  to  Hatton,  where  he 
had  comfortable  lodgings  in  the  village, 
and  received  the  same  instruction  which 
was  given  to  the  other  pupils  of  Dr. 
Parr.  His  application  there  was  dili- 
gent, his  progress  in  classical  learning- 
was  considerable,  and  his  good  beha- 
viour and  good  nature  so  endeared  him 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


409 


to  the  Doctor,  as  to  produce  a  friend- 
ship which  continued  to  the  end  of  his 
life.  Mr.  B.  entered  as  Commensalis  of 
Merton  College,  May  16.  1789;  was 
elected  Portionist,  April  26, 179O;  took 
the  degree  of  B.  A.  Feb.  1 3.  1 793 ;  gain- 
ed the  Chancellor's  prize  for  the  Eng- 
lish Essay,  1794  ;  was  elected  Fellow  of 
Merton,  Aug.  3.  1795 ;  took  the  degree 
of  M.  A.  May  25.  1796;  was  Pro-proc- 
tor, 1805;  and  in  the  absence  of  the 
Senior  Proctor,  who  was  confined  by 
illness,  Mr.  Bartlam  delivered  a  very 
elegant  speech  in  Latin.  Mr.  Bartlam 
was  presented  to  the  perpetual  curacy 
of  Tetenhall,  Staffordshire,  by  Sir  John 
Wrottesley  in  the  year  1797  ;  and  ten 
years  after  he  resigned  it,  when  the  bro- 
ther of  Sir  John  was  of  proper  age  to 
be  his  successor.  In  January  1800,  he 
was  presented  to  the  vicarage  of  Beoley 
in  Worcestershire,  by  Mr.  Holmes,  and 
to  the  curacy  of  Studley,  by  Mr.  knight 
of  Barrells,  in  Warwickshire.  October, 
1811,  he  was  presented  by  the  War- 
den and  Fellows  of  Merton  College, 
Oxford,  to  the  vicarage  of  Ponteland, 
in  Northumberland.  When  his  at- 
tention was  called  to  business  by  a  sense 
of  duty,  he  was  acute  without  artifice, 
and  active  without  selfishness.  While 
he  filled  the  office  of  Bursar  in  Merton 
College,  he  increased  the  revenues  of 
the  Society,  by  judicious  improvements 
in  the  method  of  letting  leases  ;  and 
while  incumbent  of  Studley,  he  exerted 
himself  strenuously  and  successfully  in 
founding  a  parochial  school.  At  Hatton, 
he  was  often  employed  by  Dr.  Parr,  as 
an  amanuensis ;  and  by  these  means  he 
not  only  increased  his  stock  of  know- 
ledge, but  acquired  a  copious,  correct, 
and  often  beautiful  style  in  the  English 
tongue.  His  letters  to  numerous  cor- 
respondents, and  his  more  elaborate 
writings  for  the  Pulpit,  abound  with 
proofs  of  his  erudition  and  his  ingenuity. 
Bartlam 's  perception  of  beauties  in 
prose  and  verse  was  quick  and  lively  ; 
Ins  memory  was  retentive  ;  his  flow  of 
words,  both  in  writing  and  speaking, 
was  ready  and  copious  ;  and  his  de- 
livery in  addressing,  either  an  enlight- 
ened or  promiscuous  audience,  was 
distinct,  without  ostentatious  precision  ; 
animated,  without  noisy  vehemence,  or 
serious,  without  "  austere  sanctimony. " 
Hence  his  talents  and  his  literary  at- 
tainments procured  for  him  the  honour- 
able distinction — "  laudari  a  laudatis 
viris. "  And  among  them  may  be 


classed  Dr.  Cornwall,  the  venerable 
Bishop  of  Worcester,  Lord  Holland, 
Sir  Charles  Monk,  the  late  Dr.  Charles 
Burney,  his  excellent  son,  now  living  ; 
Mr.  Nichols,  the  intelligent  and  well- 
known  Conductor  of  the  Gentleman's 
Magazine  ;  Mr.  Edmund  Henry  Bar- 
ker, the  Editor  of  Henry  Stephens's 
Thesaurus  ;  Mr.  Archdeacon  Butler, 
the  Editor  of  JEschylus  ;  Dr.  Edward 
Maltby,  the  Editor  of  Morell's  The- 
saurus ;  Dr.  Symmons,  the  ingenious 
biographer  of  Milton,  and  translator  of 
Virgil  ;  his  son  John  Symmons,  who, 
like  Richard  Porson,  is  a  prodigy  in 
extensfve  reading,  never-failing  me- 
mory, and  skilful  application  ;  the 
eloquent  and  philosophical  Robert 
Fellowes  ;  the  sagacious  and  learned 
William  Lowndes  of  Gray's  Inn  ;  the 
very  learned  Samuel  Bloomfield,  who 
has  long  been  preparing  an  edition  of 
Thucydides ;  the  celebrated  Mr.  Crowe, 
public  Orator  at  Oxford  ;  and  that 
most  profound  scholar  and  exemplary 
Christian,  Dr.  Martin  Routh,  President 
of  Magdalen  College.  Such  are  the 
excellent  contemporaries  by  whom  John 
Bartlam  was  deservedly  respected  for 
his  talents.  It  is,  however,  to  be  la- 
mented, that  the  luxuries  of  taste,  which 
were  always  within  his  reach,  decoyed 
him  from  the  toil  of  study,  and  that  a 
consciousness  of  ability  to  gain  more 
knowledge,  soothed  him  into  content 
with  that  which  he  had  already  gained. 
In  his  political  and  religious  creeds,  he 
was  much  influenced  by  the  precepts 
and  the  example  of  his  instructor. 
Shunning  all  extravagant  and  visionary 
notions  about  Government,  he  was  a 
steady  advocate  for  Constitutional  Li- 
berty ;  and  by  the  natural  ardour  and 
benevolence  of  his  mind,  he  was  led  to 
be  a  zealous  champion  in  the  sacred 
cause  of  toleration.  Wheresoever  he 
discerned  intellectual  or  moral  excel- 
lence, his  head  and  his  heart  led  him 
to  do  homage  to  the  possessors;  nor 
did  he  stop  to  inquire  whether  they  were 
Homousians  or  Unitarians,  Episcopa- 
lians or  Non- Episcopalians,  Lutherans 
or  Calvinists,  Protestants  or  Romanists. 
At  the  same  time,  he  was  most  sincerely 
and  even  affectionately  attached  to  the 
interests  and  honour  of  the  Established 
Church.  By  the  advice,  and  according 
to  the  practice  of  his  Preceptor,  he 
weighed  attentively  and  impartially  all 
argumentative  discussions  upon  the 
merits  of  that  Church  in  doctrines  or 


410 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


discipline  ;  but  his  indignation  kindled 
when  those  doctrines  or  that  discipline 
were  assailed  by  vulgar  raillery  or  sec- 
tarian virulence.  In  the  discharge  of 
his  pastoral  duties,  he  was  most  exem- 
plary. He  was  ever  ready  to  relieve 
the  wants  of  his  parishioners,  to  heal 
their  disputes,  to  enlighten  their  under- 
standings and  encourage  their  virtues. 
Perhaps  few  human  beings  have  passed 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave  with  less 
annoyance,  from  the  soreness  of  vanity, 
the  restlessness  of  ambition,  or  the  cor- 
rosions of  envy.  Unlike  Carazan,  (vide 
the  Adventurer,  No.  132,)  "  who  was 
known  to  every  man,  but  by  no  man 
saluted,"  Bartlam,  whether  going  to 
the  sanctuary  or  the  banquet,  was 
greeted  with  a  smile  on  every  counte- 
nance, and  every  voice  of  the  poor,  as 
he  passed  onward,  was  raised  in  suppli- 
cation for  his  health  and  his  happiness. 
Long,indeed,  will  he  be  remembered  with 
esteem,  affection,  and  gratitude,  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Alcester,  Studley,  Beoley, 
and  many  neighbouring  parishes.  From 
the  late  Marquis  of  Hertford  he  received 
occasional  acts  of  courtesy,  and  there 
is  reason  to  believe  that  he  wotild  have 
been  honoured  with  patronage  from  the 
present  Marquis,  who  discerned  clearly, 
and  estimated  justly,  his  solid  merits  as 
a  man  of  letters,  a  gentleman,  and 
an  enlightened,  diligent,  and  faithful 
teacher  of  religion.  The  sweetness 
of  his  temper,  and  the  vivacity  of  his 
conversation,  procured  for  him  many 
well-wishers,  and  many  admirers  in  the 
higher  classes  of  society.  Bartlam,  in 
his  ordinary  intercourse  with  the  world, 
was  unaffecting,  unassuming,  unde- 
signing  ;  and  in  domestic  life  he  often 
recalled  to  the  mind  of  the  observer  a 
beautiful  passage  in  Horace, 
"  Vivet  extento  Proculeius  aevo 
Notusin  fratres  animi  paterni." 
To  his  surviving  brother,  the  Precen- 
tor of  Exeter,  and  to  his  preceptor  and 
guide,  Dr.  Parr,  the  loss  of  a  companion 
so  amiable,  and  a  friend  so  faithful,  is 
irreparable. 

He  was  interred  in  the  church  of 
Alcester,  on  Friday,  the  7th  of  March, 
in  the  same  vault  with  his  late  worthy 
brother,  Robert.  His  funeral  was  con- 
ducted with  great  solemnity,  and  his 
remains  were  accompanied  to  the  grave 
by  his  brother,  the  Precentor  of  Exeter, 
by  the  Hon.  Mr.  Eardley,  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Vaughan,  Dean  of  Chester  and 
Warden  of  Morton,  by  Dr.  Parr,  by 


Dr.  John  Johnstone,  and  by  many  re- 
spectable gentlemen  and  clergymen  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Alcester. 

BENT,  Mr.  William,  bookseller,  in 
Paternoster  Row,  aged  75.  Mr.  Bent 
was  conductor  of  the  well  known 
monthly  literary  list,  and  formerly 
editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Universal 
Magazine.  He  was  a  man  much 
esteemed  for  his  unassuming  merit  and 
personal  integrity. 

BENTLEY,  William  Nassau,  Esq. 
son  of  Mr.  Bentley  of  Highbury,  at 
Lexington,  Kentucky,  aged  33.  By 
this  event  his  family  and  friends  are 
thrown  into  heavy  affliction,  for  he  was 
much  respected,  and  deeply  regretted  by 
all  who  knew  him.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  engaged  in  writing  an 
account  of  his  travels,  with  a  view  to 
publication,  and  in  which  he  had  made 
considerable  progress.  He  was  emi- 
nently qualified  for  the  task,  and  for 
which  he  had  abundant  materials,  having 
travelled  (by  land  and  by  water)  about 
twenty-five  thousand  miles,  including  in 
this  account  no  journey  of  less  than  one 
thousand  miles.  He  had  traversed  the 
principal  parts  of  the  United  States,  and 
coursed  along  the  great  rivers,  Wabash, 
Ohio,  and  Mississippi,  down  to  New 
Orleans :  no  doubt  his  description  and 
observations  upon  the  newly- settled 
Western  States,  in  particular,  would 
have  been  acceptable  to  the  public.  His 
literary,  astronomical,  and  scientific  at- 
tainments in  general,  were  considerable; 
and,  had  he  lived,  it  is  probable  mankind 
would  have  been  benefited  by  his  labours. 

BINGLEY,  the  Rev.  William, 
A.M.  F.L.S.  of  Christchurch,  Hants, 
March  11,  at  his  house,  Charlotte-street, 
Bloomsbury,  after  a  short  illness.  He 
was  a  native  of  Yorkshire,  and  being 
left  an  orphan  at  a  very  early  age,  was 
designed  by  his  friends  for  the  profession 
of  the  Law,  in  which  he  was  for  some 
time  educated.  His  own  inclination, 
however,  leading  him  to  prefer  the 
Church,  he  went  in  1795  to  St.  Peter's 
College,  Cambridge,  where  he  took  his 
degrees  of  B.A.  1799;  M.A.  18.  .  . 
Whilst  he  was  an  Under-graduate  in 
this  College,  he  made  two  tours  in 
Wales,  which  furnished  the  subject  of 
his  first  publication,  which  came  out  in 
two  vols.  8vo.  entitled,  "  A  Tour 
through  North  Wales  during  the  Sum- 
mer of  1798."  Of  his  *<  Animal 
Biography,  or  Anecdotes  of  the  Lives, 
Manners,  and  Economy  of  the  Animal 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


411 


Creation,"  published  in  1802,  3  vols. 
8vo.  2d  edition,  1813,  and  two  or  three 
other  editions  since  ;  there  are  two 
German  translations,  and  one  in  the 
French  language.  He  edited  the  "  Cor- 
respondence between  the  Countesses 
of  Pomfret  and  Hertford,"  all  the 
copies  of  the  second  edition  of  which 
were  destroyed  by  the  fire  that  consumed 
the  printing  office  of  Mr.  Gillet. — Be- 
sides the  above,  he  published  the  fol- 
lowing works :  "  The  Economy  of  a 
Christian  Life,"  2  vols.  8vo.  1808 ; 
"  Memoirs  of  British  Quadrupeds," 
vol.  1.  8vo.  1809  ;  "  Biographical 
Dictionary  of  the  Musical  Composers 
of  the  three  last  centuries,"  2  vols.  1813. 
For  many  years  he  was  engaged  upon  a 
"  History  of  Hampshire,"  not  yet  pub- 
lished, but  it  bade  fair  to  have  been  a 
work  of  the  best  kind.  He  was  also 
ardent  in  general  literary  pursuij^,  and 
a  considerable  collector. 

BLOSSETT,  Sir  Robert  Henry, 
Knt.  February  1 ,  at  Calcutta,  of  which 
he  was  Lord  Chief  Justice.  Sir  Robert 
was  formerly  an  eminent  Counsel  upon 
the  Norfolk  Circuit,  and  Deputy  Re- 
corder of  Cambridge.  He  was  appointed 
Lord  Chief  Justice  of  Calcutta,  and  re- 
ceived thehonourof  knighthood,in  1822. 

The  loss  sustained,  not  only  by  his 
friends  and  connections,  but  by  the  pub- 
lic at  large,  and  particularly  by  the 
Indian  empire,  will  be  fully  appreciated 
here,  where  his  talents,  learning,  and 
virtues  were  well  known.  The  close 
of  his  life,  which  was  as  exemplary  as 
the  whole  course  of  it  had  been,  and 
was  marked  by  a  composed  and  tranquil 
spirit  of  Christian  resignation,  has  af- 
forded an  awful  and  instructive  lesson 
to  that  country,  which,  in  the  brief 
experience  of  two  months'  exercise  of 
his  judicial  functions,  had  yet  found 
ample  confirmation  of  the  high  character 
which  had  so  deservedly  recommended 
him  to  his  appointment.  He  died  of  a 
disease  in  the  lower  intestines,  which 
must  have  been  of  very  long  continu- 
ance, and  which  the  faculty  were  sur- 
prised had  not  much  earlier  put  an  end 
to  his  life. 

BOND,  Right  Hon.  Nathaniel,  Oc- 
tober 8,  at  his  seat  in  Dorset;  after  a  long 
illness  borne  with  fortitude  and  resigna- 
tion. Mr.  Bond  was  one  of  His  Majes- 
ty's Privy  Council,  a  King's  Counsel, 
and  a  Bencher  of  the  Inner  Temple ;  son 
of  the  late  John  Bond,  Esq.  of  King, 
ston  Hall,  co.  Dorset,  who  had  about 
half  the  houses  in  the  borough  of  Corfe 


Castle,  which  he  himself  represented  in 
1790. 

Being  designed  for  the  bar,  after  the 
necessary  preliminary  education  at  Win- 
chester and  Cambridge,  he  was  entered  of 
the  Inner  Temple.  He  practised  for  some 
time,  both  in  the  King's  Bench,  as  well 
as  on  the  Western  circuit,  and  obtained 
a  silk  gown. 

He  was  many  years  M.  P.  for  Corfe 
Castle.  During  Lord  Sidmouth's  admi- 
nistration, he  had  a  seat  at  the  Board  of 
Treasury,  and  was  subsequently  ap- 
pointed Judge  Advocate  of  the  Army, 
which  offices  he  discharged  with  the 
highest  credit  to  himself  and  advantage 
to  the  public,  till  a  failure  of  health 
induced  him  successively  to  resign  them. 

In  1802  he  delivered  his  sentiments 
at  large,  relative  to  the  Definitive  Treaty. 

In  1 803  he  took  an  active  part  rela- 
tive to  the  Nottingham  election,  and 
also  on  the  Nottingham  Police  Bill;  and 
in  1804  his  name  appears  with  that  of 
the  Addingtons,  Mr.  Fox,  &c.  &c.  on 
the  division  of  221  to  181,  against  the 
National  Defence  Bill,  which  was  the 
first  measure  of  Mr .  Pitt's  administration . 

On  the  8th  of  April,  1805,  Mr.  Ad- 
dington  and  many  of  his  friends  having 
in  the  mean  time  joined  the  new  admi- 
nistration, we  find  Mr.  Bond  voting  in 
favour  of  Mr.  Pitt's  amendment  to  Mr. 
Whitbread's  criminatory  motion  against 
Lord  Melville. 

On  June  llth,  after  Lord  Melville,  at 
the  conclusion  of  a  speech  of  consi- 
derable length,  had  withdrawn,  and  Mr. 
Whitbread  had,  in  compliance  with  his 
former  notice,  moved  an  impeachment 
against  lum  "  for  high  crimes  and  mis- 
demeanours," Mr.  Bond  arose,  to  pro- 
pose an  amendment,  the  purport  of  which 
was,  "  that  the  Attorney  General  be  di- 
rected to  commence  a  criminal  prosecu- 
tion against  Henry  Viscount  Melville, 
for  certain  offences  alleged  against  him, 
in  the  report  of  the  Select  Committee  ; 
and  that  this  officer  in  the  mean  time  be 
directed  to  stay  proceedings  in  the  civil 
suit." 

On  this  occasion,  he  went  at  large 
into  the  evidence  adduced  against  the 
noble  Lord,  and  commented  on  what  he 
had  said  in  justification.  The  member 
for  Corfe  Castle  allowed  "  that  the  guilt 
of  the  noble  Viscount  had  been  rendered 
more  apparent  by  the  proceedings  of  the 
Select  Committee,  but  he  deprecated 
the  mode  recommended  by  the  represen- 
tative for  Bedford,  as  being  tedious  on 
one  hand,  and  expensive  on  the  other, 


4-12 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


quoting  the  trial  of  Mr.  Hastings  as  a 
case  in  point,  which  ought  to  be  blotted 
out  of  the  annals  of  this  country." 

On  a  division,  the  original  motion,  as 
proposed  by  Mr.  Whi thread,  was  lost  by 
a  minority  of  77,  and  the  amendment 
carried  by  a  majority  of  9. 

Mr.  Bond  was  a  man  of  learning,  elo- 
quence, and  the  strictest  principles  of 
honour.  His  manners  were  polished  and 
engaging,  and  few  men  have  died  more 
universally  or  more  deservedly  beloved 
and  lamented. 

BOWMAN,  Mr.  Robert,  June  13, 
at  Irthington  near  Carlisle,  in  his  118th 
year.  This  Cumberland  Patriarch  was 
born  at  Bridgewood  Foot,  a  hamlet  about 
two  miles  from  Irthington,  in  the  month 
of  October  1 705,  in  the  house  where  his 
grandfather  had  resided,  and  where  his 
father  also  was  born,  both  of  whom  were 
brought  up  to  husbandry.  His  ances- 
tors were  Roman  Catholics,  and  in  the 
early  part  of  his  life  he  professed  that 
religion ;  but  many  years  ago  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  England, 
and  was  a  constant  and  orderly  attend- 
ant upon  Divine  Worship  until  prevented 
by  age  and  infirmity.  From  early  youth 
he  had  been  a  laborious  worker,  and 
was  at  all  times  healthy  and  strong, 
having  never  taken  medicine  nor  been 
visited  with  any  kind  of  illness,  except 
the  measles  when  a  child,  and  the  hoop- 
ing cough  when  he  was  above  one  hun- 
dred years  of  age.  During  the  course 
of  his  long  life  he  was  only  once  intoxi- 
cated, which  was  at  a  wedding,  and  he 
never  used  tea  or  coffee  ;  his  principal 
food  having  been  bread,  potatoes,  hasty- 
pudding,  broth,  and  occasionally  a  little 
flesh  meat.  He  scarcely  ever  tasted  ale 
or  spirits,  his  chief  beverage  being  water, 
or  milk  and  water  mixed  ;  this  abste- 
miousness arose  partly  from  a  dislike 
to  strong  liquors,  but  more  from  a  sav- 
ing disposition.  His  habits  of  industry 
and  disregard  of  personal  fatigue  were 
extraordinary ;  having  often  been  up 
for  two  or  three  nights  in  a  week,  par- 
ticularly when  bringing  home  coals  or 
lime.  In  his  younger  days  he  was  rather 
robust,  excelled  in  bodily  strength,  and 
was  considered  a  master  in  the  art  of 
wrestling — an  exercise  to  which  he  was 
particularly  attached.  He  was  of  a  low 
stature,  being  not  above  5  feet  5  inches 
in  height,  with  a  large  chest,  well  pro- 
portioned limbs,  and  weighing  about  12 
stone.  His  vigour  never  forsook  him  till 
far  advanced  in  life,  for  in  his  108th  year 
he  walked  to  and  from  Carlisle  ( 1 6  miles) 


without  the  help  of  a  staff,  to  see  the 
workmen  lay  the  foundation  of  Eden 
bridge.  In  the  same  year  he  actually 
reaped  corn,  made  hay,  worked  at  hedg- 
ing, and  assisted  in  all  the  labours  of 
the  field  with  apparently  as  much 
energy  as  the  stoutest  of  his  sons.  As 
might  be  expected,  his  education  was 
very  limited ;  but  he  possessed  a  consi- 
derable share  of  natural  sense,  with 
much  self-denial,  and  passed  a  life  of 
great  regularity  and  prudence,  without 
troubling  himself  by  much  thought  or 
reflection.  His  memory  was  very  tena- 
cious. He  remembered  the  rebellion  in 
1715,  when  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  and 
witnessed  a  number  of  men  running 
away  from  the  danger.  In  the  second 
rebellion,  in  the  year  1745,  he  was  em- 
ployed in  cutting  trenches  round  Car- 
lisle; but  fled  from  his  disagreeable 
situation  as  soon  as  an  opportunity  of- 
fered for  escaping.  He  did  not  marry 
till  he  was  50  years  of  age,  and  his  wife 
lived  with  him  52  years,  dying  in  1807, 
aged  81.  In  1810  one  of  his  brothers 
died  at  the  age  of  99,  and  in  1818  a 
cousin  died  aged  95 ;  another  cousin  is 
now  living,  87  years  old.  He  has-left 
six  sons,  the  youngest  of  whom  is  50  years 
of  age,  and  the  eldest  62 ;  his  grand- 
children are  20  in  number,  and  his  great 
grandchildren  only  11.  He  never  had 
any  daughters.  About  the  year  1779 
he  lost  all  his  teeth,  but  no  mark  of  de- 
bility appeared  about  his  person  before 
1813,  when  he  took  to  his  bed,  and  never 
was  able  to  use  his  limbs  afterwards. 
During  the  first  nine  years  of  his  con- 
finement his  health  and  spirits  continued 
good,  and  he  was  free  from  corporeal 
pain ;  but  for  the  last  twelve  months  his 
intellects  became  rather  impaired.  Ou 
the  1 2th  June  he  was  seized  with  illness, 
which  in  fourteen  hours  put  a  period  to 
his  protracted  existence.  He  grew 
weaker  and  weaker  as  the  day  declined, 
but  experienced  no  sickness. 

Mr.  Bowman  resided  during  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  with  one  of  his  sons  upou 
his  own  estate,  and  has  died  possessed 
of  considerable  property,  the  fruit  of 
unwearied  perseverance  and  active  in- 
dustry through  a  longer  portion  of  time 
than  usually  falls  to  the  lot  of  man. 

BO  YD,  Mrs.  Frances,  at  Margate. 
Mrs.  Boyd  was  relict  of  Hugh  Boyd,esq. 
the  reputed  author  of  the  Letters  of 

"Junius,"   and  mother  of Boyd, 

esq.  the  accomplished  Greek  scholar,  and 
author  of  many  esteemed  translations  of 
the  writings  of  several  of  the  ancient 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


413 


Greek  Fathers.  Mrs.  Boyd  herself  was 
highly  accomplished  in  literature,  and 
has  heen  considered  one  of  the  best  La- 
tinists  of  modern  times. 

BRIDGES,  Lieut.  Gen.  Thomas, 
of  the  Hon.  East  India  Company's  ser- 
vice, in  Upper  Wimpole  st.  in  his  80th 
year.  He  commanded  the  right  wing 
of  the  army  under  the  command  of  Lord 
Harris  at  the  capture  of  Seringapatam. " 
BRIDGWATER,  John  William 
Egerton,  Earl  of;  at  his  seat  at  Ashridge 
in  Buckinghamshire.  This  noble  lord 
was  the  son  of  John,  Lord  Bishop  of 
Durham,  by  Anne  Sophia,  daughter  of 
the  Duke  of  Kent.  He  was  born  A  u- 
gust  29.  1749  :  and,  being  bred  to  the 
army,  in  the  year  1783  he  was  major  of 
the  20th  regt.  of  dragoons,  and  that  year 
married  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Haynes, 
esq.  by  whom  he  had  no  children.  He 
had  never  been  on  active  service  as  a 
soldier  abroad,  but  had  been  on  the  staff 
both  in  England  and  Ireland,  and  had 
risen  to  the  rank  of  general,  his  commis- 
sion bearing  date  in  1812.  Before  his 
accession  to  the  peerage,  he  sat  many 
years  in  parliament  for  the  borough  of 
Brockley,  and  voted  invariably  with  ad- 
ministration. On  the  death  of  Francis, 
the  last  Duke  of  Bridgwater,  the  title  of 
duke  became  extinct ;  but  the  earldom 
of  Bridgwater,  and  the  title  of  Viscount 
Brockley,  fell  to  this  gentleman.  Lord 
Bridgwater  was,  when  he  died,  colonel 
of  the  1 4th  dragoons,steward  for  the  du- 
chy of  Cornwall  to  the  estates  of  that 
duchy  in  Hertfordshire,  and  master  of 
Grothan  Hospital , Durham,  also  F.  R  S. 
On  the  death  of  the  late  Duke  of  Bridg- 
water, he  succeeded  to  the  Buckingham- 
shire estates,  and  the  patronage  of  the 
borough  of  Brock  ley, and  a  large  fortune. 
He  is  said  to  have  been  the  largest 
holder  of  Bank-stock  of  any  man  in 
England.  His  Lordship  was  much  of 
an  economist,  and  had  been  able  to  ex- 
pend a  very  large  sum  in  rebuilding  the 
iamilyrseat  of  Ashridge,  now  one  of  the 
most  splendid  mansions  in  England. 
Lord  Bridgwater  has  been  long  ill.  By 
staying  out  too  long  on  a  shooting-party 
with  the  Duke  of  York,  one  of  his  feet 
was  so  much  affected  by  the  frost,  that, 
at  one  time  it  was  feared  amputation 
would  be  necessary,  and  he  actually  lost 
some  of  his  toes.  He  was  a  man  of  a 
quiet  domestic  turn,  and  much  esteemed 
in  the  circle  of  his  acquaintance.  He 
gave  extensive  employment  to  the  in- 
dustrious poor. 


BUCKLEY,  General  Felix,  Sept. 
14,  at  Cobham  Lodge,  Surrey:  sup- 
posed to  be  105  years  of  age,  and  cer- 
tainly the  oldest  General  in  the  Army 
List.  In  November  1748,  Mr.  Buck- 
ley was  made  a  Cornet;  early  in  1750, 
Brigadier  and  Lieutenant  in  the  2d  troop 
of  Horse-guards ;  and  in  the  October  of 
the  following  year  a  Captain  in  the  same 
troop  of  Horse.  He  received  the  brevet 
of  Major,  6th  August,  1 762 ;  was  ap- 
pointed Guidon  and  Major  in  his  regi- 
ment, 28th  September,  1764;  Cornet 
and  Major,  8th  Feb.  1765;  2d  Lieu- 
tenant and  Lieut. -colonel,  6th  March, 
1771,  in  the  room  of  Lieut.-col.  Slough- 
ter;  1st  Lieutenant,  and  Lieutenant- 
colonel,  28th  July,  1773:  Colonel  by 
brevet,  19th  Feb.  1779;  Major-general, 
20th  Nov.  1782;  Lieutenant  and  Co- 
lonel in  his  regiment,  18th  Nov.  1790  ; 
Lieutenant-general,  3d  May,  1796;  and 
attained,  on  the  1st  Jan.  1801,  the  rank 
of  General.  He  was  Governor  of  Pen- 
dennis  Castle  ;  and  had  been  in  the  army 
upwards  of  72  years. 

BUTLER,  the  Reverend  Weeden  ; 
July  14;  at  Greenhill,  near  Harrow, 
in  the  81st  year  of  his  age. 

This  venerable  man  was  born  in  High- 
street,  Margate,  22d  September,  O.  S. ; 
3d  October,  N.  S.  1742;  the  sixth  son 
of  Daniel  Butler,  Esq.  a  reputable 
solicitor  of  that  place.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  years,  he  had  lost  both  his 
parents ;  and,  therefore,  with  his  own 
free  will  and  consent,  was  articled  by  an 
elder  brother,  Mr.  Richard  Butler,  of 
Rye,  apprentice  and  clerk,  for  the  term 
of  six  years,  to  Mr.  Benjamin  Rose  well, 
of  Angel-court,  Throgmorton-street, 
London,  attorney  and  solicitor. 

The  engagement  was  made  on  the 
24th  December,  1 757  ;  but,  when  the 
stipulated  term  expired,  notwithstanding 
Mr.  Rosewell  demonstrated  the  most 
perfect  approbation  of  his  services,  by 
offering  to  accept  the  young  freeman 
gratuitously  for  a  partner  in  business, 
the  subject  of  this  memoir  renounced 
lor  ever  the  profession  of  the  law,  on 
conscientious  grounds,  and  resolved,  by 
dint  of  still  harder  study,  and  the  most 
diligent  and  intense  application  of  heart 
and  mind,  to  improve  his  intellectual 
powers,  and  to  prepare  and  fit  himself 
for  entering  into  holy  orders.  About 
this  interesting  crisis,  by  which  the  whole 
tenor  of  his  life  was  to  be  materially  de- 
termined, he  frequented  (not  without  an 
eye  to  steady  inquiry  and  rigorous  dis- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


crimination)  all  the  celebrated  churches, 
chapels,  and  meeting-houses,  within  and 
around  the  metropolis.  The  result  of 
his  search  after  truth  fixed  his  choice, 
and  he  devoted  his  time  thenceforth  with- 
out wavering  to  the  service  of  his  God, 
as  a  humble  minister  of  Christ's  Gospel, 
and  a  firm  member  of  the  Establish- 
ment, upon  the  fullest  conviction  of  its 
excellence.  The  systematic  course  of 
his  classical  and  theological  reading, 
which  he  never  entirely  laid  aside,  was 
in  an  essential  measure  chosen,  directed, 
and  aided,  by  that  variously-gifted  but 
unhappy  character,  the  eloquent,  learned, 
polite,  humane,  gay,  vain,  extravagant, 
dissipated,  handsome,  popular  preacher, 
Dr.  William  Dodd;  to  whom,  in  his 
turn,  he  acted  as  an  assiduous  and 
indefatigable  amanuensis,  from  1764 
till  his  patron's  ignominious  end  in 
June  1777. 

Dr.  Dodd's  "  Commentary  on  the 
Holy  Bible,"  a  work  in  three  volumes, 
folio,  begun  in  1765  and  published  in 
1770,  was  in  part  carefully  compiled, 
and  altogether  written  out  fairly  for  the 
press  by  the  Rev.  Weeden  Butler,  who 
also  assisted  in  editing  the  last  four  vo- 
lurfles  of"  The  Christian's  Magazine," 
an4  revised  the  rough  copy  and  corrected 
the  proof  sheets  of  the  poem  in  blank- 
verse,  t{  Thoughts  in  Prison."  In  the 
last  singularly  affecting  composition, 
occur  lines  so  indicative  of  the  worth  of 
the  person  eulogized  and  of  the  con- 
demned author's  gratitude,  that  we  sub- 
join them  with  pleasure :  — 

*:  But,  I  am  lost !  a  criminal  adjudg'd! 
A  guilty  miscreant !  Canst  thou  think, 

my  friend,  [found! — 

Oh  BUTLER,  —  'midst  a  million  faithful 
Oh  canst  thou  think,  who  knowst,  who 

long  hast  known 
My  inmost  soul;  oh  canst  thou  think 

that  life,"  &c. 

Dr.  Dodd  was  licenced  on  the  3d 
October  1767,  to  be  the  morning 
preacher  in  Charlotte-street  Chapel, 
Pimlico,  and  he  appointed  his  ama- 
nuensis to  be  the  reader  in  that  then 
fashionable  house  of  prayer,  in  which 
Queen  Charlotte  constantly  rented  four 
very  capacious  pews  for  the  household 
until  her  Majesty's  death.  On  the 
24th  February,  1776,  the  Doctor  re- 
signed his  office  of  morning  preacher 
in  the  chapel  ;  and  Doctor  Courtenay, 
rector  of  St.  George's,  Hanover-square, 
at  the  Doctor's  request,  nominated  in 
his  room  the  deserving  reader ;  who 


was  licenced  accordingly,  and  by  pur- 
chase became  the  proprietor  of  one 
quarter  part  of  the  concern,  officiating 
therein  zealously  and  regularly  up  to 
the  year  1814.  In  1778,  he  was  lecturer 
of  St.  Clement,  Eastcheap,  and  St. 
Martin  Orgars. 

On  die  16th  December,  1771,  Mr. 
Butler  married  Miss  Ann  Giberne, 
of  Parliament  street,  Westminster.  By 
this  lady  he  had  issue,  four  sons  and  a 
daughter.  Two  sons  (one  an  infant) 
and  his  wife  died  before  him.  For 
more  than  forty  years  he  was  master  of 
a  classical  school,  in  which  he  educated( 
his  three  sons ;  viz.  1 .  the  Rev.  Weeden 
Butler,  M.  A.  of  Chelsea,  his  successor 
to  chapel  morning  duty  and  to  the 
school,  rector  of  Great  Woolstone, 
Bucks,  and  lecturer  of  Brompton 
chapel,  Kensington  ;  2.  the  Reverend 
George  Butler,  D.  D.  of  Harrow, 
head-master  of  the  school,  and  rector  of 
Gayton,  Northamptonshire  ;  3.  Charles 
William  Butkr,  Esq.  captain  of  the 
William  Pitt  extra  East  Indiaman,  who, 
on  the  17th  December  1813,  was  ship- 
wrecked with  all  his  crew,  during  a 
tremendous  gale  at  midnight,  off  Algoa 
Bay,  after  firing  several  half-minute 
signal  guns. 

In  1814,  by  the  advice  of  friends,  the 
subject  of  the  present  article  retired 
from  Chelsea  to  the  recluse  village  of 
Gayton,  where  remotis  arbitris  he  admi- 
rably discharged  the  duties  of  Curate  to 
his  son,  till  increasing  infirmities  com- 
pelled the  veteran  to  withdraw  from 
that  responsible  and  important  post  in 
1820,  at  first  to  the  Isle  of  Wight,  next 
to  Bristol,  finally  to  Greenhill. 

The  following  letter  from  the  Botani- 
cal Professor  of  Cambridge,  co-pro- 
prietor of  Charlotte-street  chapel,  on  the 
occasion  of  Mr.  Butler's  reluctant  se- 
cession from  the  scene  of  his  earliest 
ministry,  is  far  too  honourable  to  the 
Professor  and  to  the  memory  of  the 
defunct,  to  be  omitted  :  — 

"My  dear  Sir,  I  ought  to  have 
answered  your  favour  of  the  8th  instant 
sooner,  and  might  certainly  have  done 
it;  but  time  runs  on  insensibly,  and 
my  ability  for  writing  is  very  small .  As 
I  enter  on  my  eightieth  year  on  Tues- 
day next,  I  have  reason  to  be  thankful 
that  I  am  able  to  read  or  write  at  all, 
that  I  can  walk  about  my  premises 
and  drive  myself  in  my  gig;  and, above 
all,  that  I  can  yet  preach  every  Sunday. 
I  was  truly  gratified  to  find  that  you 
intend  removing  to  Gayton :  both  be- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


415 


cause  the  retirement  to  so  pleasant  and 
healthy  a  situation,  and  quitting  the 
bustle  and  fatigues  in  which  you  have 
been  engaged,  must  be  very  agreeable 
at  your  time  of  life  ;  and  also  because 
the  flock  will  not  be  left  to  a  common 
hireling,  but  will,  I  am  well  persuaded, 
be  duly  fed  with  the  most  salutary  food. 
This  is  an  object  which  must  be  near 
the  heart  of  every  conscientious  clergy- 
man. It  is  melancholy  to  see  several 
of  our  neighbouring  parishes  without  so 
much  as  a  resident  curate,  served  irre- 
gularly once  on  the  Sunday  in  haste. 
Accordingly,  Dissenters  swarm  in  them 
all  ;  and  in  one  of  them,  there  are  some- 
times five  or  six  persons  in  the  church, 
and  five  or  six  hundred  in  the  meeting. 
In  this  parish  there  are  only  five  or  six 
Dissenters,  and  they  are  among  the 
lowest  of  the  people,  not  scrupling  to 
come  to  church,  and  sending  their 
children  to  the  Sunday-school.*  The 
cause  of  this  probably  is,  that  the  rectors 
have  been  constantly  resident  ever  since 
the  reformation.  For  the  last  hundred 
and  twenty  years  my  family  have  been 
both  patrons  and  rectors  ;  and  we, 
having  also  more  than  half  the  property 
of  the  parish,  have  considerable  influence 
in  it.  Indeed,  many  of  the  farmers 
have  been  either  servants  themselves  in 
the  family,  or  have  married  servants 
from  it.  I  have  three  tenants,  brothers, 
and  sons  of  a  servant,  who  was  also 
clerk  of  the  parish  ;  industrious  young 
men,  two  of  them  bringing  up  families 
with  comfort,  the  third  having  only  one 
son.  I  did  not  know  that  your  son 
Mr.  Weeden  Butler,  had  so  numerous 
a  family.  I  accept  him  cheerfully  as 
your  successor.  With  my  compliments 
and  good  wishes  to  both  your  sons, 
and  earnest  prayers  for  your  comfort 
in  your  new  situation,  I  remain,  my 
dear  Sir,  your  very  faithful  friend  and 


Sqif.  1814." 

Of  the  unassuming  Gospel  Minister 
under  our  consideration,  although  no 
action  can  be  mentioned  calculated  to 
surprise  and  astonish,  yet  many  were 
the  charitable  deeds  which  his  right 
hand  wrought,  and  his  left  hand  knew 
not  :  and  much  might  be  recorded  in 
full  proof  of  spiritual  merit  of  no  com- 
mon order.  In  his  ordinary  intercourse 
with  mankind  he  acted  with  upright 
intentions;  and,  although  sometimes 
disappointed  and  deceived,  he  deceived, 
he  disappointed  none.  His  word  was 


truly  his  bond  ;  and  he  fulfilled  it,  not 
unfrequently  to  his  own  hindrance.  As 
a  son,  he  was  dutiful  and  affectionate, 
as  an  apprentice,  submissive  and  docile, 
as  an  amanuensis,  skilful  and  intelligent, 
as  a  husband,  attentive,  gentle,  and  kind, 
as  a  father,  mild,  indulgent,  and  im- 
partial, as  an  instructor  of  youth,  cour- 
teous and  forbearing,  as  a  friend,  faithful 
and  constant,  as  a  master  of  a  regular 
family,  punctual  and  condescending,  as 
a  subject,  loyal  to  his  prince  ;  in  every 
distinct  department  of  social  life,  in 
short,  he  shone  forth  a  blameless  pattern 
to  his  children  and  to  his  neighbours. 
But,  viewed  as  a  Clergyman  of  the 
Established  Church  of  England,  he 
exhibited  loftier  qualifications  and  more 
splendid  endowments.  Called  to  the 
ministry  by  no  worldly  considerations, 
he  acted  from  principle,  not  for  gain. 
Receiving  his  sacred  commission  from 
heaven,  he  obeyed,  and  cast  Mammon 
behind  him.  He  preached  on  temperance 
and  righteousness,  and  he  was  a  temperate 
and  righteous  man.  He  felt  exactly 
as  he  taught.  From  his  pulpit  he  en- 
forced the  saving  and  sound  doctrine 
of  faith  with  good  works :  he  himself 
believed  the  pure  Gospel  of  Christ ;  he 
himself  took  up  his  cross  and  followed 
his  adorable  Redeemer  through  thorns 
and  briars ;  he  himself  meekly  let  his 
light  shine  before  his  fellow  mortals, 
that  they  might  see  his  works  and  glorify 
his  God.  Of  his  purse  often  bounteous 
and  always  liberal  in  due  proportion  to 
his  means;  of  his  ad  vice  and  recommen- 
dation and  labours  of^love,  never  sparing 
or  dilatory  in  the  hour  of  trial  and  dis- 
tress; to  the  close  of  his  active  and 
useful  pilgrimage  he  possessed  and  he 
uniformly  displayed  a  generous  heart, 
a  sagacious  head,  an  honest  and  un- 
clenched hand.  Honoured  in  his  con- 
gregation when  alive,  by  numbers  whom 
he  esteemed  and  loved,  he  died  in  a  good 
old  age  without  harbouring  one  thought 
of  unkindness,  and  without  leaving  to 
his  knowledge  one  enemy.  His  practice 
corresponded  to  his  profession.  His 
conduct  throughout  the  busy  week  bore 
witness  to  the  sanctity  of  his  precepts, 
whilst  his  precepts  on  the  Sabbath-day 
inculcated  with  unction  and  holy  fervour, 
piety,  plain  dealing,  peace,  and  good 
will.  His  diet  simple,  his  meal  tem- 
perate, his  draughts  limited  ;  he  was 
constitutionally  and  habitually  abstem- 
ious and  sober.  His  corporeal  and 
mental  faculties,  of  course,  were  wea- 
pons keen  and  bright,  worn  by  use, 


416 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


1  not  rust ;  for,  alert  and  active  in  dispo- 
sition, and  from  youth  accustomed  to 
toil,  in  health,  he  rose  betimes  by  a  set- 
tled plan,  whilst  his  repose  was  uncer- 
tain and  mainly  depended  on  the  value 
and  pressure  of  immediate  duties;  since 
very  early  had  he  fixed  the  solemn  pur- 
pose not  unnecessarily  to  defer  whatever 
he  could  perform.  Even  his  slightest 
amusements  were  wisely  and  conscien- 
tiously chosen;  and  whilst  they  tended 
to  relax  the  mind,  recruited  the  spirits, 
and  repaired  and  refreshed  instead  of 
enervating  the  body.  In  his  strength 
of  manhood,  he  now  and  then  gardened, 
bowled,  fished,  sailed,  travelled ;  but  he 
never  danced,  he  never  hunted,  he  never 
gamed: — he  was  consistent. 

In  March  1786  he  planned,  and,  in 
September  1787,  with  the  aid  of  pecu- 
niary contributions  sanctioned  by  the 
Hon.  and  Rev.  Win.  Bromley  Cado- 
gan,  he  instituted  the  Chelsea  Sunday 
Schools.  "  Thus,  being  dead,  he  yet 
speaketh.  " 

After  a  month's  confinement  to  his 
chamber,  this  excellent  man,  whose  de- 
cay had  been  gradual  though  very  per- 
ceptible, died  without  struggle  or  groan 
at  Greenhill  near  Harrow;  on  the  14th 
of  July,  1823,  in  the  eighty-first  year 
of  his  age. 

A  revered  parent's  remains  were 
placed  in  the  family  vault  at  Chelsea 
by  the  executors,  his  two  surviving  sons. 

His  late  Royal  Highness  the  Duke 
of  Kent  had  a  great  regard  for  Mr. 
Butler.  In  a  letter  to  the  late  James 
Neild,  Esq.  dated  Quebec,  4th  Nov. 

1791,  his  Royal  Highness  says,  "You 
will  be  pleased  to  thank  Mr.  Butler  for 
the  Sermon  he  has  been  so  good  as  to 
present  me  with;  as  also  for  the  very 
polite  letter  which  accompanied  it.    He 
may   depend,  when   my  establishment 
shall  at  a  future  period  be  formed,  on 
my  remembering  the  promise  I  made 
him  when  at  Carlton-house. "   Accord- 
ingly, on  the  20th  of  May,   1799,  the 
Duke  appointed  Mr.  Butler  one  of  his 
Domestic  Chaplains. 

Mr.  Butler  was  the  last  survivor  of  the 
founders  of  the  Society  meeting  in  Cra- 
ven Street  for  the  discharge  and  relief  of 
persons  imprisoned  for  small  debts.  He 
was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Sea 
bathing  Infirmary,  at  his  birth  place,  in 

1792.  By  desire  of  the   Pimlico  and 
Chelsea  volunteers,  he  became  chaplain 
to  their  united  corps,  forming    '<  The 
Queen's  Volunteers,"    in    1798.      He 
was  likewise  a  freemason. 


Mr.  Butler's  writings  were  multifa- 
rious, but  his  known  publications  are 
few,  and  mostly  reprints  of  other  writers. 
Among  these  the  following  are  ascer- 
tained. 

1.  "  The  Cheltenham  Guide,"  8vo. 
original.  2.  "  Single  Sermons,"  4to. 
and  8vo.  original.  3.  "Jortin's  Tracts," 
2  vols.  8vo.  1790;  much  enlarged. 
4.  "  Wilcock's  Roman  Conversations," 
2  vols.  8vo.  1797;  5.  Memoirs  of  Mark 
Hildesley,  D.D.  Lord  Bishop  of  So- 
dor  and  Mann,  and  Master  of  Sher- 
burn  Hospital;  under  whose  auspices 
THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES  were  translated 
into  the  Manks  Language,"  8vo.  17S9, 
original;  6.  "  An  Account  of  the  Life 
and  Writings  of  the  Rev.  George  Stan- 
hope, D.D.  Dean  of  "Canterbury,  au- 
thor of  the  Paraphrase  and  Comment 
on  the  Epistles  and  Gospels,"  8vo.  ori- 
ginal. 

He  most  materially  assisted  his  friend 
and  co-adjutor  the  late  James  Neild, 
Esq.  in  preparing  for  the  press  a  third 
edition  of  the  "  Account  of  the  Society 
meeting  in  Craven  Street,"  published  in 
1805;  and  still  more  so  in  the  enlarged 
final  edition  of  1812,  every  line  of  which 
he  twice  transcribed ;  and  also  took 
upon  himself  the  labour  of  correcting 
the  proof  sheets.  All  these  works  he 
superintended  gratuitously  for  others  or 
printed  at  his  own  sole  expence. — "La- 
bor ipse  voluptas :  Gloria  Deo." 

Hardly  one  charitable  institution  ex- 
ists in  London,  to  which  Mr.  Butler's 
popular  oratory  did  not  essentially  con- 
tribute credit  and  cash. 

A  very  fine  portrait  of  Dr.  Dodd, 
painted  by  Gainsborough,  and  a  large 
quarto  volume  of  the  Doctor's  unedited 
poems  in  MS.  bound,  including  a  tra- 
gedy, called  "  The  Syracusan,"  and  a 
comedy  called  "  Sir  Roger  de  Coverly," 
are  left  by  Mr.  Butler  to  his  legatees. 
The  portra;t  is  the  only  likeness  extant. 
The  poems  are  pleasingly  composed. 
Rev.  Philip  Dodd  and  Rev.  Weeden 
Butler,  junior,  possess  all  the  Doctor's 
unprinted  sermons^ 

BUXTON,  John  Esq.  of  North- 
ampton,  May  24th,  aged  64.  In  reli- 
gion a  Dissenter,  and  in  politics  a  Whig, 
he  was  of  the  most  retired  and  un- 
asuming  habits,  except  when  roused  by 
a  sense  of  public  duty,  on  which  occa- 
sions he  supported  his  principles  with  a 
zeal,  an  energy,  and  a  perseverance 
which  will  be  long  remembered.  In 
private  life  he  was  amiable  and  benevo- 
lent; feelingly  alive  to  the  wishes  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


happiness  of  his  family  and  friends,  and 
his  purse  and  his  time  ever  open  to  the 
public  institutions  and  private  calls  of 
charity. 

CAITHNESS,  the  Right  Hon. 
James  Sinclair,  Earl  of;  at  his  seat 
Barrogill  Castle,  near  Thurso,  in  his 
57th  year;  Lord  Berriedale,  and  a  ba- 
ronet; formerly  one  of  the  representa- 
tive peers  for  North  Britain,  in  the  Im- 
perial Parliament,  but  retired  in  conse- 
quence of  ill  health;  Lord -Lieute- 
nant, co.  Caithness,  and  Post-Master- 
General  for  Scotland.  He  was  cousin 
to  John  the  eleventh  Earl,  and  was  de- 
scended from  Alexander  Sinclair,  Esq. 
of  Stempsters,  second  son  of  William 
second  Earl  of  Caithness.  He  received 
some  part  of  his  education  in  the  town 
of  Elgin,  co.  Moray. 

His  Lordship  married  1784,  Jane 
second  daughter  of  Colonel  Alexander 
Campbell  of  Barcaldine,  and  friece  to 
the  Right  Hon.  Sir  John  Sinclair,  of 
Ulbster,  Bart,  and  had  issue  the  present 
peer  and  eight  other  children ;  five  sons, 
of  whom  the  eldest  died  in  1802,  and  the 
others  are  now  living  ;  three  daughters, 
two  of  which  are  married,  and  one  diedin 
18O3.  His  Lordship  succeeded  to  the 
title  on  the  death  of  his  cousin  John, 
April  8,  1789.  In  1802  he  was  ap- 
pointed Lieut. -Colonel  of  the  Caith- 
ness, Sutherland,  and  Cromarty  Militia. 

By  His  Lordship's  premature  decease 
his  family  and  friends  have  sustained  an 
irreparable  loss;  in  every  relative  duty, 
as  a  husband,  as  a  parent,  as  a  friend, 
as  a  master,  his  virtues  were  eminently 
conspicuous  ;  and  it  may  with  truth  be 
said,  that  he  never  lost  a  friend,  and 
never  had  an  enemy.  He  had  been  for 
ten  years  a  martyr  to  a  severe  and  lin- 
gering illness,  which  he  bore  with  the 
utmost  resignation  and  composure.  He 
is  succeeded  in  his  titles  and  estates  by 
his  eldest  son  Alexander,  now  Earl  of 
Caithness.  His  amiable  wife  survives 
him. 

CAMPBELL,  Sir  Hay,  of  Suc- 
coth,  Bart.  28th  March,  in  the  89th 
year  of  his  age. 

This  venerable  person  was  born  on 
the  23d  of  August,  1734.  He  was 
the  eldest  son  of  Archibald  Campbell 
of  Succoth,  and  his  mother,  Helen 
Wallace,  was  the  daughter  and  repre- 
sentative of  Wallace  of  Ellersley,  a 
branch  of  the  family  of  Sir  William 
Wallace.  He  came  to  the  bar  in  1757, 
was  made  Solicitor- General  in  1783, 
Lord  Advocate  in  1784,  and  was  soon 

VOL.  vm. 


after  chosen  member  of  the  Glasgow 
district  of  burghs,  which  he  continued 
to  represent  in  parliament,  taking  an 
active  share  in  all  the  important  trans- 
actions of  the  time,  until  he  was  raised 
to  the  chair  of  President  of  the  Court 
of  Session  in  1789.  In  1794  he  was 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  commission 
of  oyer  and  terminer,  issued  at  that 
disturbed  period  for  the  trial  of  those 
accused  of  high  treason  in  Scotland, 
and  the  manner  in  which  he  acquitted 
himself  on  that  occasion  was  highly 
commended  by  the  English  lawyers  of 
the  day.  He  continued  to  hold  the  situ- 
ation of  president  of  the  Court  of  Session 
for  upwards  of  nineteen  years,  and  re- 
signed his  high  office  in  autumn  1808, 
after  having  discharged  its  arduous  du- 
ties with  the  utmost  ability,  integrity, 
and  zeal.  But  the  faculties  of  his  mind 
remaining  entire,  he  was  afterwards 
chosen  to  preside  over  the  two  different 
commissions  for  inquiring  into  the  state 
of  the  courts  of  law  in  Scotland ; 
which  business  he  conducted  with  his 
accustomed  industry  and  talent.. 

For  many  years  before  his  elevation 
to  the  bench  he  had  the  most  extensive 
practice  of  his  time,  and  indeed  there 
was  scarcely  any  cause  or  business  of 
importance  in  which  he  was  not  en- 
gaged or  consulted.  He  was  partfcu,- 
larly  remarkable  for  the  excellence  of 
his  written  pleadings.  Many  of  them 
are  perfect  models  of  perspicuity,  force, 
and  elegance.  The  best  criterion  of  his 
judicial  eminence  during  the  long  pe- 
riod when  he  presided  on  the  bench,  is 
the  high  estimation  in  which  his  recorded 
opinions  are  now  held  by  all  Scotch 
lawyers. 

In  politics  he  was  a  warm  admirer 
of  the  principles  of  Mr.  Pitt ;  and  he 
enjoyed  the  friendship  and  confidence 
of  many  eminent  public  men,  particu- 
larly of  Lord  Chancellor  Thurlow,  and 
the  late  Lord  Melville,  with  both  of 
whom  he  was  in  habits  of  frequent  cor- 
respondence. 

The  anxiety  he  felt  to  discharge  the 
duties  entrused  to  him  fully  and  faith- 
fully, made  him  desirous  to  quit  public 
life  before  age  had  in  any  degree  im- 
paired the  powers  of  his  mind;  and 
therefore  he  resigned  the  President's 
chair  while  yet  in  the  full  possession  of 
that  profound  and  active  understanding 
which  had  been  exerted  in  the  unre- 
mitting discharge  of  his  professional  and 
public  duties  for  nearly  half  a  century. 
After  his  retirement  from  the  bench, 


418 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX    FOR    1823. 


he  resided  principally  on  his  paternal 
estate  of  Garscube,  where  the  vigour  of 
his  mind  remained  unabated,  and,  being 
freed  from  the  fatigues  of  public  life, 
the  amiable  traits  of  his  character  be- 
came more  extensively  displayed,  and 
increased  the  admiration  of  those  who 
had  been  spectators  of  his  former  career. 
Until  within  a  few  weeks  of  his  death 
he  was  constantly  occupied  with  pur- 
suits of  various  kinds.  He  took  a  prin- 
cipal share  in  the  business  of  the  county 
of  Dumbarton,  and  was  much  con- 
sulted by  the  magistracy  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood, particularly  in  the  late  peril- 
ous times.  He  spent  much  of  his  time 
in  reading  and  in  the  study  of  general 
literature ;  amused  himself  with  agricul- 
ture, and  received  the  visits  of  those  nu- 
merous persons  in  England  and  Scot- 
land with  whom  he  had  been  connected 
in  public  and  private  life. 

In  these  occupations,  and  in  the  ex- 
ercise of  that  benevolence  which  was  a 
remarkable  trait  of  his  character ;  pos- 
sessing, until  his  last  short  illness,  per- 
fect good  health,  and  a  mind  as  acute 
as  it  had  been  in  the  vigour  of  his  man- 
hood ;  loved  and  respected  by  every  one, 
and  surrounded  by  his  numerous  de- 
scendants, whom  he  delighted  to  assem- 
ble under  his  patriarchal  roof,  he  enjoyed 
a  period  of  retirement  from  public  life, 
which  in  point  of  happiness  and  length 
of  duration,  seldom  falls  to  the  lot  of 
public  characters,  and  which  was  the 
deserved  reward  of  those  laborious  ser- 
vices that  will  be  recollected  as  long  as 
the  law  of  Scotland  exists. 

Sir  Hay  Campbell  was  married  to 
Susan-Mary,  daughter  of  Archibald 
Murray,  of  Cringalty,  Esq.  one  of  the 
Commissioners  of  Edinburgh,  by  whom 
he  had  six  daughters,  five  of  whom  are 
married;  and  one  son,  Archibald,  one 
of  the  Scottish  Lords  of  Session. 

CARDIGAN,  Elizabeth.  Countess 
Dowager  of,  June  23,  at  her  house  in 
Seymour- place,  May  Fair,  aged  65 ;  af- 
ter a  short  but  painful  illness,  of  an  in- 
Summation  which  baffled  the  skill  of  her 
physicians.  She  was  the  widow  of  James 
the  fifth  Earl  of  Cardigan,  who  died 
Feb.  24,  1811,  and  to  whom  she  was 
married  April  28,  1791. 

Her  Ladyship  was  the  eldest  daughter 
(her  twin  sister  Ameliahaving  died  June 
8, 1768)  of  John  the  third  Earl  of  Wai- 
degrave,  and  Lady  Elizabeth  Leveson 
Gower,  sister  of  Granville  first  Marquis 
of  StaflbrdjK.  G.,  and  was  born  May  26, 
1758.  On.  the  establishment  of  the 


household  of  the  princess  royal  (now 
Queen  Dowager  of  Wurtemburg),  she 
was  appointed  lady  of  the  bedchamber 
to  her  royal  higness,  and  continued  in 
that  situation  up  to  the  period  of  her 
marriage  ;  shortly  after  which  she  suc- 
ceeded to  the  same  office  with  our  late 
most  gracious  and  excellent  Majesty 
Queen  Charlotte,  and  discharged  the 
duties  of  the  same  till  her  lamented  de- 
cease. The  attachment  of  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  royal  family  to  Her  Ladyship 
commenced  in  their  earliest  youth,  re- 
mained unshaken  to  the  last,  and  their 
sincere  grief  at  her  loss  is  the  best  tri- 
bute to  her  numerous  virtues,  her  stea- 
dy friendship,  and  amiable  qualifica- 
tions. 

Her  Ladyship  has  left  behind  one  sur- 
viving sister  and  brother  :  viz.  Lady 
Caroline  Waldegrave,  also  lady  of  the 
bedchamber  to  the  Princesses ;  and 
Admiral  Lord  Radstock,  G.  C.  R. 

Her  remains  were  interred  in  the 
vault  of  the  Earl  of  Waldegrave's  family 
at  Navestock  in  Essex,on  the  1  st  of  July. 
The  body  was  inclosed  in  a  coffin  of 
rich  Genoa  crimson  velvet,  .with  heral- 
dic ornaments,  and  plate,  on  which  was 
the  following  inscription  :  "  Elizabeth 
Countess  Dowager  of  Cardigan,  died 
June  23,  aged  65  years."  The  funeral 
procession  was  agreeable  to  her  rank ; 
the  carriages  of  their  royal  highness  the 
Duke  of  Gloucester,  Princess  Sophia, 
and  Princess  Sophia  Matilda,  and  many 
others,  attended. 

CARR,  Miss,  in  Beaumont-street, 
aged  62.  Miss  Carr  was  daughter  of 
an  eminent  banker  of  Newcastle-upon- 
Tyne,  sister  of  the  late  high  sheriff,  and 
first  cousin  to  the  present  Lord  Dar- 
lington. She  was  a  woman  of  mascu- 
line strength  of  mind,  and  extraordinary 
literary  and  scientific  attainments,  and 
equally  distinguished  for  her  attachment 
to  the  cause  of  public  liberty.  She  was 
the  author  of  many  papers  in  the  Month- 
ly Magazine,  bearing  the  signature  C., 
and  also  a  constant  correspondent  of  the 
principal  newspapers.  She  had  travel- 
led much,  and  knew  the  world  and  soci- 
ety at  large  better  than  most  persons  of 
her  time. 

CART  WRIGHT,  the  Rev.  Ed- 
mund, D.D.F.R.S.  and  F.R.L.S. 
October  30.  He  was  the  fourth  son  of 
William  Cartwright,  of  Marnham,  co. 
Nottingham,  Esq.  born  in  1743.  He 
first  entered  at  University  College,  from 
whence  he  was  elected  a  Fellow  of 
Magdalen  College,  Oxford.  He  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX    FOR   1823. 


419 


early  distinguished  by  his  literary  ta- 
lents, and  published,  in  the  year  1 762, 
an  Ode  on  the  birth  of  his  present  Ma- 
jesty. Of  his  poetical  productions,  the 
most  popular  was,  "  Armine  and  Elvira, 
a  legendary  tale,"  which  has  gone 
through  several  editions,  and  which  will 
be  long  read  and  admired  for  its  pathos 
and  elegant  simplicity.  For  several  years 
he  was  a  principal  contributor  to  the 
Monthly  Review,  and  some  of  its  most 
interesting  articles  between  the  years 
1774  and  1784,  are  of  his  composition. 

But  the  most  lasting  monument  of 
his  fame  is  founded  upon  his  mechanical 
discoveries,  which  have  greatly  contri- 
buted to  the  commercial  prosperity  of 
the  country.  The  application  of  ma- 
chinery for  the  purpose  of  weaving  is  of 
his  invention,  for  which  he  took  out  a 
patent  in.  the  year  1 786.  Having  at 
that  time  to  struggle  against  the  cla- 
morous opposition  of  the  workftig  me- 
chanics, and  some  of  the  manufacturers 
who  had  adopted  his  invention  being 
detered  from  using  it  not  merely  by  the 
threatening  of  incendiaries,  but  by  the 
actual  burning  to  the  ground  of  a  newly- 
erected  manufactory  for  the  reception 
of  500  looms,  where  30  only  had  been 
set  to  work,  an  entire  stop  was  then  put 
to  the  use  of  his  invention,  and  his  pa- 
tent elapsed  before  he  had  reaped  the 
benefit  which  was  due  to  him.  Soon 
after  the  expiration  of  his  patent,  the 
invention  came  into  general  use.  The 
consideration  of  the  immense  advantage 
which  the  country  derived  from  it,  to- 
gether with  the  loss  which  he  and  his 
family  sustained  in  bringing  it  to  per- 
fection, induced  parliament  in  1810,  to 
make  him  a  grant  of  ten  thousand 
pounds.  He  also  took  out  patents  for 
combing  wool  and  making  ropes  by 
machinery,  and  was  the  author  of  many 
improvements  in  arts,  manufactures, 
and  agriculture,  for  which  he  received 
various  premiums  from  the  Society  of 
Arts  and  Board  of  Agriculture. 

It  being  presumable,  that  the  patent 
of  a  Mr.  Hulls,  early  in  ttfe  last  cen- 
tury, for  a  steam-boat,  which  had  long 
sunk  into  oblivion,  was  as  unknown  to 
him  as  it  has  been  till  very  lately  to  the 
public,  it  may  be  affirmed  that  the  idea 
of  propelling  carriages  on  land,  and  ves- 
sels on  the  water  by  steam,  was  also 
one  of  his  inventions.  The  writer  of 
this  short  memoir  saw  upwards  of  thirty 
years  ago  his  plan  of  a  steam-vessel, 
which  was  afterwards  communicated  to 
an  American  engineer,  with  whom  he 


was  intimate,  who  introduced  it  in  the 
United  States.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  a 
person  to  whose  inventive  genius  poste- 
rity is  under  such  obligation,  will  find 
an  adequate  historian  ;  and  that  while 
we  pay  the  willing  tribute  of  our  admir- 
ation to  those  who  render  their  country 
feared  and  powerful,  we  do  not  with- 
hold it  from  him  who  has  so  greatly 
contributed  to  its  prosperity,  and  to  the 
encouragement  of  its  arts  and  industry. 
Dr.  Cartwright  was  married  first,  to 
Alice  daughter  of  Richard  Whitaker  of 
Doncaster,  Esq.,  by  whom  he  has  left 
one  son  and  three  daughters ;  and,  se- 
condly, to  Susanna,  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Kerney,  who  survives  him. 

CHAMBRE,  Sir  Alan,  Knight, 
Sept.  2O  j  at  the  Crowu  inn,  Harrogate, 
in  his  84  year  ;  late  one  of  the  Judges 
of  his  Majesty's  Court  of  Common 
Pleas.  He  was  of  Gray's  Inn,  Barris. 
ter-at  law.  In  1796  he  was  elected 
Recorder  of  Lancaster,  which  appoint- 
ment he  resigned  in  1799,  and  was 
succeeded  by  W.  L.  Hubbersjty,  Esq. 
In  1800  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
Judges  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas, 
which  he  resigned  in  1816,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Mr.  Justice  Park. —  The* 
remains  of  this  venerable  Judge  were 
removed  from  Harrogate,  for  interment 
in  the  family  vault  at  Kendal,  West- 
morland. 

CHARTRES,  the  Rev.  James, 
Sept,l,  atWarboys,in  Huntingdonshire, 
of  an  apoplectic  fit.  Mr.  Chartres  was 
Fellow  of  King's  College,  Cambridge, 
Vicar  of  Godmanchester  and  of  West 
Haddon.  His  death  will  be  severely 
felt,  and  sincerely  regretted,  by  his  fami- 
ly and  all  who  had  the  happiness  of  his 
acquaintance.  If  any  eulogium  on  his 
benevolence  and  virtues  need  to  be  re. 
corded,  the  following  address,  presented 
to  him  by  the  governors  of  the  Free 
Grammar  School  at  Atherstone,  on  his 
resigning  the  situation  of  head-master 
of  that  institution,  will  best  express  the 
high  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  : 

"  The  Trustees  of  the  Free  Gram- 
mar School  of  Atherstone,  impressed 
with  sentiments  of  pleasure  and  regret,  * 
now  feel  it  incumbent  upon  them  to 
address  the  Rev.  James  Chartres ;  —  of 
pleasure,  on  looking  upon  his  conduct 
as  head-maste/  of  that  School  during  a 
period  of  thirty  years,  which  was  dis- 
tinguished by  active  virtue,  kindness, 
and  benevolence,  more  especially  to* 
wards  those  who  under  his  protection 
have  imbibed  the  principles  of  religion, 
I  K  2 


420 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR   1823. 


literature,  and  classical  learning,  and 
have  been  stimulated  to  the  practice  and 
pursuit  of  virtue  by  his  most  honourable 
and  amiable  example;  —  of  regret,  on 
being  deprived  of  the  society  of  a  man 
whose  uniform  behaviour,  urbanity,  and 
pleasing  manners,  both  in  private  and 
social  life,  have  rendered  him  most  de- 
servedly esteemed  and  respected.  They 
cannot  conclude,  without  requesting 
him  to  accept  their  warmest  and  most 
sincere  wishes  for  his  future  health,  hap- 
piness, and  prosperity,  and  have  direct- 
ed this  testimony  of  their  respect  to  be 
recorded  in  the  minute-book  of  the 
Corporation,  signed  with  their  common 
seal,  this  25th  day  of  March,  1817." 

Copies  of  this  address  were  forwarded 
to  this  excellent  man  by  the  governors 
with  a  present  of  plate,  towards  the  pur- 
chase of  which  several  inhabitants  of  the 
town  and  neighbourhood  contributed 
with  the  governors,  as  expressive  of 
their  attachment,  and  of  their  general 
approbation  of  his  conduct  as  master  of 
this  seminary,  where,  under  his  tuition, 
many  men  of  high  literary  attainments 
have  received  the  rudiments  of  their 
classical  education.  Copies  were  also 
sent  to  each  of  his  diocesans,  the  bishops 
of  Lincoln  and  Peterborough ;  but  such 
was  his  modesty,  that  he  wished  it  not 
to  be  made  more  public;  which,  during 
his  life-time,  was  reluctantly  complied 
•with. 

CHRISTIAN, Edward,  Esq.  M.A. 
of  Gray's  Inn,  Barrister»at-Law  ;  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Isle  of  Ely ;  Downing 
Professor  of  the  Laws  of  England,  in 
the  University  of  Cambridge ;  Pro- 
fessor of  General  Polity  and  the  Laws 
of  England,  in  the  East  India  College, 
at  Hertford  ;  and  a  Commissioner  of 
Bankrupts.  Mr.  Christian  died  at  his 
lodge,  in  Downing  College,  March 
29th.  He  was  formerly  Fellow  of  St. 
John's  College,  B.A.  1779,  M.A. 
1782,  and  was  distinguished  for  his 
classical  acquirements,  having  obtained 
the  chancellor's  medal  in  1779. 

He  published  :  —  "  Examination  of 
Precedents  and  Principles,  from  which 
it  appears  that  an  impeachment  is  de- 
termined by  a  dissolution  of  Parlia- 
ment," 1790,  8vo.  ;  "  Dissertation 
shewing  that  the  House  of  Lords,  in 
cases  of  judicature,  is  bound  by  pre- 
cisely the  same  rules  of  evidence  as  are 
observed  by  all  other  Courts,"  1792, 
8vo.  ;  "  Blackstone's  Commentaries, 
with  notes  and  additions,"  12th  edition, 
4  vols.  8vo.  1795,  16th edition;  "  A 


Syllabus  of  Lectures  delivered  in  the 
University  of  Cambridge,"  1797,  8vo.  ; 
"  Charge  to  the  Grand  Jury  at  the 
Assizes  held  at  Ely,  March  9,"  1804, 
4to.  ;  "  Account  of  the  Origin  of  the 
two  Houses  of  Parliament,  with  a 
Statement  of  the  Privileges  of  the 
House  of  Commons,"  1810,  8vo.  ; 
"  Origin,  Progress,  and  present  State 
of  the  Bankrupt  Laws  in  England," 
1812,  2  vols.  8vo. ;  "  Instructions  on 
a  Commission  of  Bankrupt,"  8vo.  ; 
"  Treatise  on  the  Game  Laws,"  8vo.  ; 
"  Plan  for  a  Country  Provident  Bank  ; 
with  Observations  upon  Provident  In- 
stitutions already  established,"  1816, 
8vo. 

COCHRANE,  the  Hon.  and  Rev. 
James  Atholl,  M.A.  35  years  vicar  of 
Manfield,  co.  York,  being  presented  in 
1  788  by  his  late  Majesty,  who  also,  in 
Aug.  1792,  presented  him  to  the  vicar- 
age of  Long  liorsley,  Northumber- 
land. He  was  the  sixth  child  and  fifth 
son  of  Thomas,  late  Earl  of  Dun- 
donald,  brother  to  the  present  Earl  and 
Sir  Alexander  Forrester  Inglis  Coch- 
rane,  G.C.B.  Admiral  of  the  Red,  and 
uncle  to  the  celebrated  Lord  Cochrane. 
He  married  Miss  Mary  Smithson,  but 
by  her  had  no  issue.  He  was  formerly 
chaplain  to  the  82d  regiment  of  foot ; 
and  published  u  A  Plan  for  recruit- 
ing the  British  Army,"  1779,  4to.  ; 
"  Thoughts  concerning  the  proper  con- 
stitutional Principles  of  manning  and 
recruiting  the  Royal  Navy  and  Army," 
1791,  4to.  ;  "  A  Letter  concerning 
the  Establishment  of  a  Provision  for 
Sailors  and  Soldiers  after  certain  Jength 
of  Services,"  1805,  8vo.  ;  "  Two 
Tracts  on  Agricultural  Subjects," 
1805,  8vo. 

CONDER,  Mr.  James,  haber- 
dasher, of  Ipswich,  March  22d,"  after 
an  illness  of  only  twelve  hours,  oc- 
casioned by  the  bursting  of  an  internal 
abscess,  and  in  his  61st  year.  This 
worthy  and  respectable  man  was  the 
youngest  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Conder, 
D.D.  pastor  of  the  congregational 
meeting  of  Protestant  Dissenters,  on 
the  pavement,  Moorfields,  London, 
and  divinity  tutor  in  the  dissenting 
academy  at  Homerton,  by  Miss  Flin- 
dell,  of  Ipswich.  He  was  born  at 
Mile-end,  and  educated  at  an  eminent 
dissenting  school  at  Ware,  in  Hert- 
fordshire, then  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  the  Rev.  Mr.  French,  a 
minister  of  the  Unitarian  persuasion. 
He  married  Miss  Mary  Notcutt,  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR    1823. 


421 


fifth  daughter  of  Mr.  George  Notcutt, 
of  Ipswich,  by  whom  he  has  left  two 
sons  and  a  daughter. 

The  character  of  the  deceased  exhi- 
bited many  amiable  traits  ;  and  without 
any  violation  of  truth  it  may  be  said, 
that  as  a  father,  a  husband,  and  a  friend, 
he  was  indulgent,  kind,  and  affectionate, 
and  throughout  life  adorned  these  situa- 
tions by  the  uniform  practice  of  every 
virtue.  Of  integrity  unimpeached,  and 
of  a  life  and  conversation  that  became 
the  gospel  of  Christ,  he  studied  to  ap- 
prove himself  to  God,  and  to  evince  his 
love  to  his  Redeemer,  by  a  rigid  atten. 
tion  to  every  relative  duty,  and  by  a 
.calm  but  persevering  course  of  unaf- 
fected piety.  His  benevolence,  founded 
on  principle,  and  corroborated  by  habit, 
was  not  active  at  intervals,  and  at  other 
times  torpid  and  inert ;  but  his  efforts 
to  do  good  to  every  one  aroijnd  him 
were  constant  and  uninterrupted.  To 
many  charitable  institutions,  of  which 
he  was  a  most  active  and  efficient  mem 
ber,  he  gave  an  unremitted  attention, 
and  watched  over  their  interests  with  a 
parental  solicitude.  The  idea  of  the 
establishment  of  a  society,  in  the  town 
of  Ipswich,  which  is  designated  by  the 
name  of  "  the  Friendly  Society,"  from 
the  benevolent  nature  of  its  object,  was 
no  sooner  suggested  to  him,  than  it  im- 
mediately engaged  his  active  services ; 
and  to  him,  beyond  any  individual 
member,  it  is  indebted  for  that  support 
and  patronage  which  it  has  so  deserved- 
ly obtained. 

His  death  was  sudden  and  awful, 
and  accompanied  with  severe  bodily 
suffering  ;  but,  under  the  providence 
of  God,  he  was  prepared  for  its  ap- 
proach. The  manly  fortitude  and 
Christian  resignation  with  which  he  met 
this  agonizing  event  was  indeed  highly 
commendable  ;  the  hope  of  the  Gospel 
supported  him  under  the  trial,  and  by 
the  firm  reliance  on  the  merits  and 
mediation  of  a  Saviour,  his  end  was 
peace  and  joy. 

His  remains  were  deposited  in  the 
cemetery  of  the  meeting-house,  in 
Tacket-street,  Ipswich,  amidst  a  mourn- 
ful and  attentive  crowd  of  spectators, 
where  a  just  and  well-drawn  eulogium 
on  the  virtue  and  character  of  the  de- 
ceased was  pronounced  by  the  Rev. 
Charles  Atkinson. 

Mr.  Conder  was  much  attached  to 
the  study  of  antiquities,  and  eager  in 
their  investigation  and  pursuit.  He 
was  in  possession  of  an  extensive  nu- 


mismatic collection,  and  his  series  of 
provincial  tokens  was  probably  unique. 
His  collections,  likewise,  relative  to  the 
history  of  the  county  of  Suffolk,  were 
considerable  ;  and  in  the  department  of 
PICTORIAL  ILLUSTRATIONS,  were  ample, 
yet  select.  This,  indeed,  was  his  fa- 
vourite pursuit ;  and  in  the  prosecution 
of  it  he  spared  no  pains  to  bring  it  to 
complete  perfection. 

He  published  a  work  of  great  utility 
to  the  provincial  Jetton  Collector,  under 
the  title  of  "  An  Arrangement  of  Pro- 
vincial Coins,  Tokens,  and  Medalets, 
issiied  in  Great  Britain,  Ireland,  and 
the  Colonies,  within  the  last  Twenty 
Years,  from  the  Farthing  to  the  Penny 
size,"  1799,  8vo.  and  two  vols.  small 
4to.,  a  work  on  which  considerable  at- 
'tention  was  bestowed  to  render  it 
acceptable,  and  which  the  author's  own 
extensive  collection  could  alone  have 
enabled  him  to  complete. 

His  knowledge  of  the  dissenting 
history  and  interests  of  the  county  of 
Suffolk  was  likewise  deep  and  extensive, 
and  enriched  with  a  variety  of  anecdotes 
well  calculated  both  for  amusement  and 
instruction.  He  had  meditated,  for  some 
time  past,  a  "  History  of  the  Dissent- 
ing Establishments  in  the  County,  in- 
cluding Biographical  Notices  of  their 
respective  Ministers,"  on  the  plan  of 
that  useful,  entertaining,  and  well- 
written  work  of  Mr.  Wilson's,  entitled, 
"  The  History  and  Antiquities  of  Dis- 
senting Churches  and  Meeting  Houses 
in  London,  Westminster,  and  South  - 
wark."  On  the  utility  of  such  a  work 
it  is  unnecessary  to  enlarge.  To  the 
Protestant  Dissenter  it  has  long  been  a 
desideratum,  and  would  prove  most 
highly  valuable.  It  is,  indeed,  a  matter 
of  surprise,  that  while  the  parochial 
churches  in  the  county,  and  the  lives 
of  their  respective  incumbents,  have 
received  ample  illustration  from  the  pen 
of  the  antiquary  and  historical  church- 
man, the  sanctuaries  of  the  dissenters 
have  been  hitherto  left  entirely  unex- 
plored,* and  the  biography  of  their 
respective  pastors  unrecorded  by  the 
intelligent  non-conformist. 

Mr.  Conder  was  a  frequent  contri- 
butor to  many  periodical  publications ; 
and  his  name  is  honourably  recorded 
for  assistance  received  in  the  preface  to 
Wilson's  "  History  and  Antiquities  of 


*  To  this  remark  "  Nichols's  Leices- 
tershire "  forms  an  exception. 
EE  3 


422 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX  FOR    1823. 


Dissenting  Churches,"  and  Brook's 
««  Lives  of  the  Puritans." 

History  too  seldom  records  the  quiet 
excellencies  of  private  individuals.  The 
memory  of  those,  indeed,  who  "  along 
the  cool  sequestered  vale  of  life  have 
kept  the  noiseless  tenor  of  their  way," 
is  too  frequently  doomed,  after  their 
short  existence  is  terminated,  to  survive 
only  in  the  recollection  of  their  more 
immediate  acquaintance.  But  the 
writer  of  this  short  biographical  notice, 
who  admired  the  virtues  of  the  deceased, 
and  was  gratified  by  his  friendship,  is 
anxious  that  the  quiet  excellencies  of  a 
character,  who  had  deservedly  concili- 
ated the  esteem  of  his  neighbours  and 
acquaintance,  and  who,  amid  the  cares 
of  life,  #nd  the  toils  of  business,  had 
been  ever  mindful  of  eternity,  should 
not  pass  away  unnoticed,  but  be  re- 
corded for  the  imitation  of  others  ;  and 
has,  therefore,  paid  this  humble  but 
well-merited  tribute  to  the  memory  of 
a  much-respected  friend,  a  sincere 
Christian,  and  a  truly  viiluous  and 
honest  man. 

CONSTABLE,  Sir  Thomas  Hugh 
Clifford,  Bart,  pf  Tixall,  in  Stafford- 
shire, and  of  Burton  Constable,  in 
Yorkshire,  February  25,  at  Ghent,  aged 
60.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of  the  late 
Hon.  Thomas  Clifford,  youngest  son 
of  Hugh,  third  Lord  Clifford,  of  Chud- 
leigh,  in  the  county  of  Devon,  and  of 
the  Hon.  Barbara  Aston,  youngest 
daughter  of  James^  fifth  Lord  Aston, 
Baron  of  Forfar,  Scotland  j  born  Dec. 
4,  1762  ;  married  June  7,  1791,  Mary 
Macdonald,  second  daughter  of  John 
Chichester,  of  Arlington,  co.  Devon, 
Esq.  (by  his  second  wife,  Mary  Mac- 
donald, of  Tiendrish,  in  North  Britain,) 
and  bad  issue  one  son,  Thomas- Aston, 
yet  a  minor,  who  succeeds  to  the  title 
and  estates,  and  two  daughters.  He 
was  created  a  baronet  in  1815,  by  the 
title  of  Sir  T.  H.  Clifford,  at  the  par- 
ticular request  of  Louis  XVIII.  ;  and 
in  1821,  succeeded  to  the  estates  of  the 
late  F.  Constable,  Esq.  of  Burton 
Constable,  near  Hull ;  on  which  oc- 
casion he  took  the  name  of  Constable. 

His  parents  being  Roman  Catholics, 
he  was  educated  at  Liege,  and  after- 
wards at  the  famous  College  of  Navarre, 
in  Paris  (since  converted  to  the  Poly- 
technic School.)  He  travelled  over 
Switzerland  on  foot,  where  he  formed 
an  acquaintance  with  the  late  Mr. 
Whitbread.  On  his  return  from  his 


travels,  Sir  Thomas  conceived  an  ardent 
passion  for  the  study  of  botany,  which 
became  his  favourite  pursuit.  Of  the 
extensive  and  accurate  knowledge  which 
Sir  T.  C.  acquired  in  this  pleasing 
branch  of  science,  he  has  left  a  great 
proof  in  die  Flora  Tixalliana,  which  is 
appended  to  the  "  Historical  and  To- 
pographical Description  of  the  Parish 
of  Tixall,"  which  he  composed  in  con- 
junction with  his  brother,  Mr.  Arthur 
Clifford,  and  of  which  he  furnished 
almost  all  .the  materials.  This  amusing 
and  instructive  work  was  published  at 
Paris  in  1818.  At  a  later  period  Sir 
T.  Constable  imbibed  a  taste  for  the 
study  of  history,  antiquities,  topogra- 
phy, heraldry,  and  genealogy,  in  all  of 
which  he  was  conversant.  He  had 
conceived  the  plan  of  a  "  History  of 
the  Normans,"  and  had  made  consider- 
able progress  in  it.  He  frequently 
amused  his  leisure  hours  with  lighter 
pursuits;  he  .translated  into  English 
verse  the  fables  of  La  Fontaine,  and  he 
had  contrived  to  hit  off,  with  remark- 
able felicity,  the  almost  inimitable  nai- 
vete and  indescribable  arch  simplicity 
of  that  original  author.  In  his  latter 
years  Sir  T.  Constable  completed  a  new 
metrical  version  of  the  Psalms.  He 
produced  also  a  work  in  French,  en- 
titled, "  L'Evangile  Medite."  From 
this  religious  work  he  extracted  forty 
meditations  on  the  Divinity  and  Passion 
of  Christ,  for  the  forty  days  of  Lent, 
which  he  translated  into  English,  and 
published  at  his  own  expense.  No 
one  supported  through  life  a  more  uni- 
formly good  character,  and  very  few 
will  be  more  sincerely  and  deservedly 
regretted, 

CO  OM  BE,  William,  Esq.  19th  June, 
in  his  82d  year,  at  his  apartments,  Lam- 
beth Road.  A  gentleman  long  known 
to  the  literary  world  by  his  various  pro- 
ductions, but  who  never  affixed  his  name 
to  his  works. 

He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Ox- 
ford. He  possessed  great  talents,  and 
a  very  fine  person,  as  well  as  a  good  for- 
tune, which,  unhappily,  he  soon  dissi- 
pated among  the  high  connections  to 
which  his  talents  and  attainments  intro- 
duced him,  and  he  subsequently  passed 
through  many  vicissitudes  of  life,  which 
at  length  compelled  him  to  resort  to 
literature  for  support.  Innumerable 
are  the  works  of  taste  and  science  which 
were  submitted  to  his  revision,  and  of 
which  others  had  the  reputation.  A 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


423 


love  of  show  and  dress,  but  neither  gam- 
ing nor  drinking,  was  the  source  of  his 
embarrasments.  He  was  indeed  remark- 
ably abstemious,  drinking  nothing  but 
water  till  the  last  few  weeks  of  his  life, 
when  wine  was  recommended  to  him  as 
a  medicine.  But  though  a  mere  water 
drinker,  his  spirit  at  the  social  board 
kept  pace  with  that  of  the  company. 
He  possessed  musical  knowledge  and 
taste,  and  formerly  sung  in  a  very 
agreeable  manner.  His  conversation 
Was  always  entertaining  and  instructive, 
and  he  possessed  a  calm  temper  with 
very  agreeable  manners.  He  was  twice 
married.  His  second  wife,  who  is  now 
alive,  is  the  sister  of  Mrs.  Cos  way,  and 
possessed  of  congenial  taste  and  talents. 

He  originally  excited  great  attention 
in  the  fashionable  world,  by  a  poem,  en- 
titled "  The  Diaboliad,"  in  two  parts; 
the  second  of  which  was  far  inferior  to 
the  first.  The  hero  and  heroirfe  were 
generally  understood  to  be  a  nobleman 
and  a  duchess  lately  deceased.  "  The 
Philosopher  of  Bristol,"  &c.  and  "The 
Flattering  Milliner,  or  Modern  Half- 
hour,"  performed  at  Bristol  in  1775, 
were  likewise  by  him ;  as  was  "  The 
Devil  upon  Two  Sticks  in  England," 
being  a  continuation  of  "  Le  Diable 
Bqiteux  of  Le  Sage,"  4  vols.  1790; 
Sd'edit.  6  vols.  l'2mo.  1810;  in  which 
many  very  distinguished  characters  at 
that  period  were  introduced,  and  the 
whole  entitles  him  to  the  name  of  the 
English  Le  Sage,  which  some  have  been 
pleased  to  confer  upon  him,  though  far 
inferior  to  Le  Sage's  work.  He  was  the 
author  also  of  several  political  pamphlets, 
which  made  a  considerable  impression 
on  the  public,  among  which  were  "  The 
Royal  Interview,"  "  A  Letter  from  a 
Country  Gentleman  to  his  Friend  in 
Town,"  "  A  Word  in  Season,"  "  The 
Letters  of  Valerius  on  the  state  of  Par- 
ties," 8vo.  1 804,  and  many  others.  He 
also  wrote  those  letters  which  appear 
under  the  title  of  "  Letters  of  the  late 
Lord  Lyttelton." 

Within  the  last  few  years,  under  the 
liberal  patronage  of  Mr.  Ackermann, 
who  continued  to  be  a  generous  friend 
to  him  till  his  last  moments,  he  brought 
forth  a  work  which  became  very  popular 
and  attractive,  under  the  title  of  "  The 
Tour  of  Doctor  Syntax  in  search  of  the 
Picturesque."  It  was  originally  insert- 
ed in  the  Poetical  Magazine,  published 
by  Mr.  Ackermann,  but  afterwards  re- 
printedin8vo.  1812;  2d  edit.  1813,and 
subsequent  editions.  This  work,  which 


he  extended  to  a  "  Second  and  Third 
Tour,"  with  nearly  the  same  spirit  and 
humour  which  characterised  the  first,  will 
for  ever  rank  among  the  most  humorous 
productions  of  British  literature.  He 
afterwards  produced  poems,  entitled, 
"The  English  Dance  of  Death,"  and 
"  The  Dance  of  Life,"  which  were  writ- 
ten with  the  same  spirit,  humour,  and 
knowledge  of  mankind  that  marked  the 
other  works.  His  last  poem  was  "  The 
History  of  Johnny  Q,uae  Genus,  the 
Little  Foundlingof  the  late  Dr.  Syntax. " 
All  these  works  were  illustrated  by  some 
admirable  prints  from  the  designs  of 
Mr.  Rowlandson. 

For  Mr.  Ackermann  he  also  wrote 
"  History  of  Westminster  Abbey,"  2 
vols.  4to.  1812;  "  Six  Poems  illustrative 
of  Engravings  by  H.  R.  H.  the  Princess 
Elizabeth,"  4to.  1813;  and  also  part  of 
the  descriptions  to  the  "Microcosm  of 
London,"  3  vols.  4to.  ;  and  was  author 
of  the  papers,  entitled,  "  The  Modern 
Spectator,"  in  Ackermann's  Repository 
of  Arts. 

The  Bristol  Observer  of  July  16,  pub- 
lishes the  following  anecdotes  of  this 
highly-favoured  literary  humourist,  as 
given  by  a  gentleman,  one  of  his  con- 
temporaries, during  his  residence  at 
Bristol  Hotwells,  which  place  he  visited 
about  the  year  1768: — "He  was  tall 
and  handsome  in  person,  an  elegant 
scholar,  and  highly  accomplished  in  his 
manners  and  behaviour.  He  lived  in 
a  most  princely  style,  and,  though  a 
bachelor,  kept  two  carriages,  several 
horses,  and  a  large  retinue  of  servants. 
He  had  resided  abroad  for  many  years. 
It  was  said  that  he  was  the  son  of  a 
tradesman  in  London,  who  left  him  a 
very  handsome  fortune,  but  which  it  is 
supposed  he  soon  dissipated,  and  then 
commenced  author.  He  was  generally 
recognized  by  the  appellation  of  « Count 
Coombe.'  " 

From  another  quarter,  says  the  same 
respectable  Journal,  "  we  have  been  told 
that  a  gentleman  once  gave  Mr.  Coombe 
the  friendly  hint  that  his  sister-in-law,  a 
lady  possessing  a  fortune  of  forty  thou- 
sand pounds,  *  might  with  ease  be  wooed, 
and  without  pains  be  won.'  But  this 
suggestion  'the  Count'  spurned  from 
him  contemptuously.  The  lady  soon 
afterwards  became  the  prize  of  a  soldier 
of  seemingly  more  precarious  fortune, 
who,  we  believe,  still  survives  her — an 
example  of  greater  prudence  and  cir- 
cumspection than  he  by  whom  she  was 
rejected." 

EE  4 


4-24. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


"  As  an  example  of  his  powers  of  con- 
versation, the  late  Dr.  Estlin  related 
that  a  friend  once  met  Mr.  Coombe 
walking  in  TyndalPs  Park  with  a  young 
lady  under  each  arm — both  of  whom 
were  in  tears.  *  In  the  name  of  heaven, 
Coombe!'  exclaimed  his  friend,  at  their 
next  meeting,  '  what  had  you  been  say- 
ing to  those  poor  girls  with  whom  I  met 
you  the  other  day,  to  produce  so  much 
distress  ?'  —  '  What  distress  ?  —  when  ?' 
enquired  the  Count,  in  a  tone  of  alarm 
at  the  imputation.  On  his  memory  be- 
ing brought  home  to  the  fact,  he  rejoin- 
ed, *  Oh  !  nothing  at  all — some  melan- 
choly tale  of  imagination,  trumped  up  to 
suit  their  palate,  and  diversify  the  scene. 
But  of  the  pearly  drops  I  was  not  so 
keen  an  observer  as  yourself.'  " 

Thelife  of  Mr.  Coombe,  if  impartially 
written,  would  be  pregnant  with  amuse- 
ment and  instruction  ;  but  those  whose 
literary  contributions  might  have  pro- 
vided interesting  materials  are  probably 
most  of  them  with  him  in  the  grave; 
and  he  will  hereafter  be  chiefly  remem- 
bered as  the  author  of  "Doctor  Syntax. " 

We  ought  not  to  conclude  this  article 
without  bearing  testimony  to  'the  firm 
reliance  which  Mr.  Coombe  placed  in 
the  divine  origin  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gion, and  a  future  existence  ;  and  to  the 
fortitude  and  resignation  with  which  he 
supported  his  full  conviction  of  the  near 
approach  of  his  final  release  from  all 
sublunary  troubles. 

COOKE,the  Rev.  John.D. D.  Feb. 3, 
at  the  President's  lodgings,  Corpus 
Christi  College,  in  his  89th  year.  Dr. 
Cooke  was  president  of  that  college, 
Rector  of  Woodeaton  and  Begbrooke, 
Oxfordshire,  and  for  about  50  years  an 
active  magistrate  for  that  county.  He 
was  of  Corpus  Christi  College,  where  he 
proceeded  M.  A.  Jan.  14,  1757  ;  B.  D. 
Jan.  28,  1765;"  D.  D.  May  2,  1782; 
and  in  1783,  was  elected  president  o,f 
his  college.  Two  years  after  he  had 
taken  his  degree  of  B.D.  he  was  pre- 
sented  by  J.  "Heyland,  esq.  to  the  Rec- 
tory of  Woodeaton  ;  and  in  1776,  by 
Sir  J.  Dashwood,  Bart,  to  that  of  Beg- 
brooke. He  was  emphatically  termed 
the  '  Father  of  the  University'  In  reli 
gion  stedfast  and  orthodox — in  politics 
true  to  his  king  and  country — in  con- 
duct generous  and  hospitable — in  man 
ners  gentle  though  dignified,  he  might 
have  been  regarded  as  the  representa- 
tive of  those  olden  times,  we  daily  hear 
praised,  but  seldom  see  imitated.  Dr. 
Cooke  was  for  many  years,  as  before 


mentioned,  in  the  commission  of  the 
peace ;  during  which  period,  concilia- 
ting the  love  of  the  poor,  and  gaining 
the  respect  of  the  rich,  he  proved  that  an 
upright  and  attentive  magistrate  is  a 
blessing  to  all  around.  By  his  death, 
the  university  has  lost  one  of  her  most 
solid  ornaments,  the  poor  a  steady 
friend,  and  the  country  a  firm  support. 

COOKE,  the  Rev.  John,  May  4,  at 
Greenwich  Hospital,  aged  85.  Mr. 
Cooke  was  many  years  one  of  the  chap- 
lains and  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
hospital,  and  rector  of  Dinton,  Bucks. 
He  received  his  academical  education  at 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  where  he 
proceeded  B.  A.  1761;  M.A.  1764. 
He  was  presented  to  the  rectory  of  Din- 
ton  in  1773,  by  his  late  Majesty.  In 
association  with  the  Rev.  John  Maule, 
Mr.  Cooke  published,  in  1789,  "An 
Historical  Account  of  the  Royal  Hos- 
pital for  Seamen  at  Greenwich,"  col- 
lected by  permission  from  original  pa- 
pers and  records,  and  embellished  with 
engravings.  In  1799,  he  also  published, 
"  A  Voyage  performed  by  the  late  Earl 
of  Sandwich  round  the  Mediterranean, 
written  by  himself;  with  Memoirs  of  his 
Life,"  4to.  Some  letters  addressed  to 
Lord  Sandwich's  son,  and  to  Mr. 
Cooke,  from  Bp.  Douglas  and  Sir 
Alex.  Cochrane,  in  consequence  of  this 
publication,  will  be  found  in  Nichols's 
"  Literary  Anecdotes,"  vol.  iv.  p. 498  ; 
vol.  ix.  p.  74<>.  Mr.  Cooke  has  left  a 
widow  at  a  very  advanced  age. 

CORNWALLIS,  the  Most  Noble 
Charles,  Marquis  and  Earl  Cornwallis, 
Viscount  Broome,  Baron  Cornwallis  of 
Eye,  in  the  county  of  Suffolk ;  at  his 
residence  in  Old  Burlington  Street, 
August  16th. 

This  highly  respected  nobleman  was 
the  only  son  of  Charles,  the  first  Mar- 
quis, and  the  illustrious  Governor-ge- 
neral of  India,(who  died  at  Ghauzepoor, 
in  the  province  of  Benares,  on  the  5th 
of  October,  1805,  worn  out  with  an 
active  life  spent  in  the  service  of  his 
country,  and  covered  with  honours  and 
glory,)  by  Jemima,  the  daughter  of 
James  Jones,  Esq. 

His  Lordship  was  born  on  the  1 9th 
of  October,  1774;  and  in  1796,  was 
elected  one  of  the  knights  of  the  shire  for 
the  county  of  Suffolk,  which  honourable 
station  he  retained  till  the  decease  of 
his  father  1805.  On  the  17th  of  April, 
1797?  he  married  Lady  Louisa  Gordon, 
the  first  daughter  of  Alexander,  Duke 
of  Gordon,  by  Jane,  the  daughter  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


425 


Sir  William  Maxwell,  Bart,  and  by 
whom  he  has  had  issue  five  daughters,  viz. 
Lady  Jane,  born  Oct.  5,  17  98,  and  who 
married  May  13,  1819,  the  Hon.  Rich- 
ard Neville,  the  son  and  heir  of  Lord 
Braybrook;  Lady  Louisa,  born  Feb. 
24,  1801  ;  Lady  Jemima,  born  April 
29,  1803;  Lady  Mary,  born  Nov.  17, 
1804;  and  Lady  Elizabeth,  born  Ja- 
nuary, 1807.  On  the  25th  of  May, 
1803,  he  was  appointed  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  eastern  battallion  of  Suf- 
folk militia,  and  in  1805,  master  of 
his  Majesty's  buck -hounds. 

From  the  great  and  deserved  estima- 
tion in  which  His  Lordship  was  nniver- 
sally  held,  his  loss  will  be  severely  felt 
by  his  family  and  friends ;  and  more 
particularly  in  the  neighbourhood  of  his 
estates,  upon  which  he  generally  resided. 
His  amiable  character  and  unassuming 
disposition,  the  mildness  and  urbanity 
of  his  manners,  and  the  kindne'ss  and 
benevolence  of  his  heart,  rendered  him 
throughout  life  as  beloved  as  he  was 
respected.  The  state  of  his  health  had 
been  such  as  to  induce  his  medical  at- 
tendants to  recommend  a  visit  to  the 
continent,  which  he  was  about  to  un- 
dertake, when  his  disease  terminated 
fatally.  On  no  other  occasion  would 
he  have  deserted  his  country  ;  and  never 
would  he  have  made  the  cheapness  of 
the  continent  a  plea  for  increasing  the 
embarrasments  of  his  countrymen. 

His  Lordship  dying  without  heirs 
male,  the  marquisate  \becomes  extinct ; 
but  he  is  succeeded  in  the  earldom  by  his 
uncle,  the  Hon.  and  Right  Rev.  James 
Cornwaliis,  the  venerable  Bishop  of 
Lichfield  and  Coventry. 

This  exemplary  prelate  is  the  third 
son  of  Charles,  the  fifth  Lord  and  first 
Earl  Cornwaliis,  by  Elizabeth,  the  el- 
dest daughter  of  Charles,  the  second 
Viscount  Townshend.  He  was  born  on 
the  25th  of  Feb.  1742,  and  received  the 
early  part  of  his  education  at  Eton,  from 
whence  he  was  removed  to  Merton  Col- 
lege, Oxford,  of  which  society  he  be- 
came a  fellow.  He  was  appointed 
chaplain  to  Marquis  Townshend  when 
lord  lieutenant  of  Ireland ;  and  was 
presented  by  his  uncle  Frederic,  arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  to  the  valuable 
rectories  of  Wrotham,  in  Kent,  and  of 
Newington,  in  Oxfordshire.  From  a 
prebend  of  Westminster  he  was  prefer- 
ted  to  the  deanery  of  Canterbury,  in 
which  he  was  installed  ,-April  29,  1775. 
In  1781,  he  was  consecrated  bishop  of 
Lichfield  and  Coventry;  and  in  1791, 


on  the  translation  of  Bishop  Douglas  to 
the  see  of  Salisbury,  he  succeeded  him 
as  dean  of  Windsor ;  which,  in  1794,  he 
exchanged  for  that  of  Durham.  He 
married  April  30th,  1771.  Miss  Catha- 
rine Mann,  the  fourth  daughter  of  Gal- 
fridus  Mann,  Esq.  M.  P.  for  the  borough 
of  Maidstone,  by  Sarah,  the  daughter  of 
John  Gregory,  Esq.,  and  by  her  (who  . 
died  Sept.  1 7,  1 8 1 1 )  has  issue  Elizabeth, 
born  in  1 774,  and  died  in  1 8 1 3 ;  Charles ; 
Susan  ;  who  died  infants ;  and  James, 
born  Sept.  20,  1778,  who  represented 
the  borough  of  Eye  in  the  parliaments 
of  1796  and  1802,  and  who  married 
Dec.  12,  1804,  the  only  daughter  of 
Francis  Dickens,  of  Woollaston  Hall, 
Northamptonshire,  Esq.  and  formerly 
a  knight  of  the  shire  for  that  county. 

COWLEY,   John,    Esq.    Sept.   26, 
in    Guildford    Street,    aged  76.      Mr. 
Cowley  was  for  many  years  a  respecta- 
ble Scotch  factor  in   Cateaton    Street. 
In  1780  he  was  elected  a  representative 
in    common    council  for  the   ward  of 
Cheap ;    and    distinguished  himself  in 
that  court  as  a  diligent  attender  and  an 
able  speaker,  particularly  on  the  subject 
of  the    city    finances.         During    the 
chamberiainship  of  the  celebrated  Mr. 
Wilkes  (and  not  without  a  hope  of  him- 
self  succeeding   to  the    chamberlain's 
gown),  he  kept  a  watchful  eye  over  the 
money   department   of  that   important 
office,  and  frequently  reprehended  the 
ancient   mode  in  which  the  accompts 
were  then  kept ;  but  never  could  hit 
upon  any  flaw,  or  the  slightest  error  or 
mismanagement ;  for,   whatever  might 
be  the  demerits  of  Mr.  Wilkes  in  bther 
respects,    his    conduct   in   that    official 
situation  was  faultless,  and  even  exem- 
plary.    Indefatigable  and  punctual  in 
the  concerns  of  his  own  extensive  busi- 
ness, polite  and  affable  in  his  conversa- 
tion,  and  always  neatly  elegant  in  his 
personal  appearance,  Mr.  Cowley  rea- 
lised the  character  of  a  complete  gen- 
tleman and   an  upright  English  mer- 
chant ;  and  in  his  domestic  habits  he  was 
a  kind  husband,  an  affectionate  father, 
and  a  faithful  friend. 

CROSBY,  Mr.,  at  Gosberton.  It 
is  supposed  that  he  has  left  behind  him 
more  than  50,000/.  ;  yet  in  his  life  he 
would  hardly  allow  himself  common  ne- 
cessaries. Neither  of  theElwes's,nor  even 
Dancer  himself,  could  be  more  squalid, 
or  more  penurious  in  a  general  way, 
and  yet  this  man  kept  a  good  table  as 
far  as  beef  and  bacon  went,  and  was 
always  accessible  to  any  poor  man  that 


426 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX   FOR    1823. 


might  call  at  his  house :  rich,  and  what 
he  called  "  fine"  men,  he  detested. 

CUTFIELD,  Captain  William, 
R.  N.  commander  of  his  Majesty's 
sloop  of  war  the  Barracouta,  Nov.  30, 
1822,  at  Delagoa  Bay,  Africa,  aged 
H5, 

Capt.  Cutfield  was  the  eldest  son  of 
Mr.  J.  Cutfield  of  Deal,  an  old  and 
meritorious  officer,  who  had  been  up- 
wards of  50  years  a  mastey  in  his  Majes- 
ty's navy,  and  who  during  the  last  years 
of  the  war  was  master-attendant  of  that 
dock-yard. 

Capt.  Cutfield  entered  the  navy  in 
1796,  on  board  the  Overyssel  man  of 
war,  of  64  guns,  Capt.  (now  Admiral) 
Bazely.  In  1799  he  went  in  her  to  the 
Texel*  and  in  1802,  he  left  her  to  join 
the  Arrow,  Capt.  Vincent,  and  after 
cruizing  some  time  in  the  Channel, 
sailed  in  her  to  the  Mediterranean,  where 
he  soon  afterwards  joined  the  Belleisle, 
Capt.  (now  Admiral)  Hargood,  one  of 
the  ships  of  Lord  Nelson's  squadron, 
then  on  the  look-out  for  the  French  and 
Spanish  combined  fleets.  In  the  memo- 
rable action  which  followed  he  was 
slightly  wounded  in  the  breast, 'and  soon 
afterwards  he  came  home  in  hopes  of 
promotion ;  but  being  disappointed,  he 
again  joined  the  Belleisle,  in  which  he 
served  as  mate  for  some  months.  In 
March  1806  he  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  lieutenant,  and  soon  after  was 
appointed  to  the  Grasshopper,  Capt. 
Searle,  and  sailed  in  her  to  the  Medi- 
terranean, where  the  very  active  service 
he  was  employed  in  during  the  year 
1807,  perpetually  commanding  the  boats 
in  cutting  out  the  enemy's  vessels,  con- 
ducting prizes  into  port,  &c.  &c.  fre- 
quently caused  honourable  mention  of 
his  name  in  the  Gazette  of  that  time, 
and  procured  him  his  captain's  commis- 
sion in  May  1808,  at  that  time  about 
the  21st  year  of  his  age.  On  his  return 
home  in  1809  he  volunteered  his  ser- 
vices to  the  commander-in-chief  of  the 
naval  part  of  the  Walcheren  expedition, 
and  was  appointed  by  him  to  command 
all  the  small  hired  craft  employed;  and 
at  the  close  of  that  expedition  brought 
home  the  dispatches  to  government 
from  Sir  Richard  Strachan.  He  con- 
tinued on  half-pay  till  June  1814,  when 
he  was  appointed  to  command  the  Wood- 
lark  sloop  of  war,  which  he  immediately 
joined  at  Plymouth,  and  was  employed 
on  some  active  services  between  that 
port  and  Passages  till  the  beginning  of 
1815,  when  he  was  ordered  up  the  Medi- 


terranean with  dispatches  for  Sir  C.  V. 
Penrose.  In  1816  he  returned  and  paid 
off  his  ship  at  Chatham  :  from  that  time 
till  Oct.  1821,  he  remained  on  half-pay. 
In  Jan.  1822,  being  appointed  to  the 
Barracouta,  he  sailed  from  Spithead  in 
company  with  Capt.  Owen,  of  the  Leven 
frigate,  his  commodore,  on  a  voyage  to 
survey  and  explore  the  harbours  and 
rivers  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Africa. 
On  his  return  from  the  survey  of  one  of 
the  rivers  in  Delagoa  Bay,  after  an  ab- 
sence of  fourteen  days  arduous  service  in 
the  open  boats,  the  fever,  so  dreadful  in 
those  parts,  appeared  among  the  crew, 
and  to  that  cruel  disorder  this  worthy 
young  officer,  eight  others,  and  60  of  the 
crew,  unfortunately  fell  victims.  They 
penetrated  80  miles  up  the  river,  hav- 
ing to  encounter  the  dreadful  beast 
called  the  hippopotamus,  who  bit  out 
five  planks  from  one  of  their  boats,  and 
to  disperse  large  parties  of  the  natives, 
who  endeavoured  to  surprize  them  dur- 
ing their  bivouac  on  shore. 

The  death  of  this  brave  and  enterpris- 
ing young  officer  is  a  great  loss  to  the 
naval  service  of  his  country,  and  must 
ever  be  severely  felt  by  his  much  afflicted 
relatives,  toVhomhis  exemplary  conduct 
as  a  good  son,  an  affectionate  brother, 
and  a  generous  friend,  justly  endeared 
him. 


D. 


DICKENSON,  the  Rev.  Samuel, 
rector  of  Blymhill,  co.  of  Stafford, 
May  22,  aged  90.  Mr.  Dickenson  was 
a  learned  and  ingenious  naturalist.  He 
was  presented  to  the  above  rectory  in 
J777,  by  J.  Heaton,  and  J.  Fowler, 
Esqrs.  To  the  Rev.  Stebbing  Shaw's 
valuable  «*  History  of  Staffordshire"  he 
was  of  great  assistance,  by  kindly  ex- 
erting his  classical  abilities,  and  throw- 
ing much  light  upon  the  various  vestiges 
of  the  Romans  in  that  county ;  and  by 
communicating  a  catalogue  of  plants 
found  in  the  county,  rendered  essential 
service  in  the  botanical  and  agricultural 
departments.  His  son,  who  is  a  great 
zoologist,  communicated  to  the  same 
work  the  article  on  Zoology. 

DICKSON,  William,  Esq.  LL.D. 
at  his  apartments  in  Beaufort  Buildings. 
Dr.  Dickson  was  a  native  of  MofFat,  in 
the  south  of  Scotland.  He  received  a 
respectable  education,  partly  at  Edin- 
burgh. Early  in  life  he  went  to  Bar- 
badoes,  where  he  officiated  as  a  teacher 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


427 


of  mathematics  in  a  respectable  establish- 
ment in  that  island  ;  and  was,  for  some 
years,  secretary  to  the  governor.  While 
acting  as  a  volunteer  in  the  artillery  he 
had  his  right  hand  carried  off  by  the 
explosion  of  a  cannon.  On  his  return 
to  this  country  he  took  a  most  active 
part  in  the  abolition  of  the  slave  trade  ; 
*n  the  business  of  procuring  petitions 
against  that  infamous  traffic  Scotland 
was  the  district  allotted  to  his  exertions, 
and  he  travelled  many  thousand  miles 
on  his  benevolent  mission,  and  greatly 
injured  his  constitution.  But  the  Doc- 
tor was  an  enthusiast  in  whatever  he 
undertook.  Notwithstanding  the  loss 
of  his  hand  very  few  men  ever  wrote 
more.  He  was  a  man  of  very  extensive 
erudition,  and  an  excellent  mathemati- 
cian, and  contributed  a  great  many 
papers  which,  at  an  early  period,  tended 
to  establish  the  reputation  of  the  Philo- 
sophical Magazine.  He  was  a  man  of 
true  piety,  and  real  practical  religion. 
For  his  exertions  in  the  abolition  of  the 
slave-trade  he  obtained,  through  the  in- 
fluence of  Mr.  Wilberforce,  a  situation 
in  the  Mint;  though  the  salary  was 
moderate,  by  strict  economy  he  contrived 
to  save  a  considerable  sum  of  money, 
and,  though  to  himself  severe,  his  purse 
was  always  open  to  his  friends,  and  many 
of  his  young  countrymen  were  relieved 
from  temporary  distress  from  his  slender 
funds.  He  had  retired  from  active  em- 
ployment for  some  years;  he  expressed  in 
his  will  a  singular  wish,  that  if  he  were 
the  survivor,  he  should  be  laid  in  the 
same  grave  with  his  friend  and  coadju- 
tor, the  revered  Clarkson. 

DOWLAND,  James,  Esq.  Aug.  5, 
at  Cuckney,  co.  Nottingham,  in  his 
72d  year.  Mr.  Dowland  was  many 
years  steward  to  Earl  Bathurst.  He 
was  a  man  of  a  strong  and  comprehen- 
sive mind,  which  he  had  highly  culti- 
vated by  a  natural  and  enthusiastic  love 
for  literature  and  general  information. 
His  reading  was  extensive,  and  his 
memory  being  in  no  ordinary  degree 
retentive,  there  was  scarcely  a  subject 
which  befitted  a  man  of  science  and  a 
gentleman  to  be  acquainted  with,  but 
what  was  familiar  to  him.  These  quali- 
fications rendered  him  an  agreeable  and 
instructive  companion,  and  it  was  hard- 
ly possible  for  any  one  to  be  but  a  short 
time  in  his  society,  and  not  gain  inform- 
ation from  his  conversation,  be  exhili- 
rated  by  his  wit,  and  pleased  with  the 
general  suavity  of  his  manners.  His 
more  immediate  friends  (and  those  only 


can  fully  appreciate  his  worth)  may 
and  will  contemplate  with  a  melancholy 
pleasure  the  recollection  of  past  enjoy- 
ment. In  the  heyday  of  life,  in  the 
midst  of  convivial  pleasures,  there  are 
sensations  that  rarely  occur  even  to  the 
most  considerate  ;  it  is  by  death  alone 
that  we  form  a  just  estimate  of  what  we 
once  possessed,  and  it  is  by  death  alone 
that  the  value  and  vanity  of  human  at- 
tainments can  be  justly  appreciated. 

An  excellent  likeness  of  Mr.  Dow- 
land's  good-humoured  countenance  was 
lately  published  in  lithography. 

DROGHEDA,  Charles  Moore, 
Marquis  and  Earl  of,  Viscount  Moore, 
Baron  of  Mellefont  in  Ireland,  Baron 
Moore  of  Moore  Place,  co.  Kent,  K.P. 
Governor  of  Meathand  of  King's  and 
Queen's  Counties,  a  Field  Marshal  in 
the  army,  Col.  of  the  13th  Regiment  of 
Hussars,  and  Constable  of  Marybo- 
rough Castle,  Dec.  22,  1 822,  in  Dublin, 
aged  92. 

This  venerable  nobleman  was  born 
June  29,  1730  ;  succeeded  his  father  as 
sixth  Earl  and  eighth  Viscount,  Oct.  28, 
1758,  at  which  time  his  father,  together 
with  his  brother,  the  Hon.  and  Rev. 
Edw.  Loftus  Moore,  were  lost  at  sea, 
in  their  passage  to  Dublin  ;  and  Feb.  15, 
1766,  married  Anne  Seymour,  eldest 
daughter  of  Francis  first  Marquess  of 
Hertford,  K.  G.  ;  and  by  her  (who  died 
Nov.  4,  1787)  had  issue,  1.  Charles, 
born  Aug.  23,  1770.  2.  Lord  Henry, 
(joint  muster-master-general  in  Ire- 
landj.  3.  Isabella,  died  1787.  4.  Eli- 
zabeth-Emily, Countess  of  Westmeath. 
5.  Mary,  married  Alexander  Stewart, 
uncle  to  the  present  Marquis  of  London- 
derry. 6.  Gertrude.  7.  Alice,  died 
1789.  8.  Anne,  died  1788.  9.  Fran- 
ces, wife  of  Right  Hon.  J.  OrmsbyVan- 
deleur. 

In  1762  he  obtained  the  18th  reg.  of 
Light  Dragoons,  of  which  he  remained 
colonel  until  their  late  disbandment. 
He  was  one  of  the  original  Knights  of 
St.  Patrick  in  1783,  and  in  1791  was 
created  Marquess  of  Drogheda.  Having 
been  muster-master-general,  and  mas- 
ter of  the  ordnance,  he  was,  in  1797,  ap- 
pointed joint  post-master-general  of 
Ireland  ;  and  Jan  17,  1 801,  was  created 
an  English  peer,  by  the  title  of  Baron 
Moore,  of  Moore  Place,  co.  Kent.  His- 
lordship  is  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son 
Charles,  who  not  being  in  sound  health, 
the  management  of  the  estates  devolves 
on  Lord  Henry  Moore. 

The  remains  of  this  venerable  noble- 


428 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


man,  on  the  3d  January  1823,  ar- 
rived in  Drogheda,  in  a  hearse,  splen- 
didly decorated,  and  drawn  by  eight 
horses.  A  number  of  carriages  followed, 
in  which  were  the  mourners,  the  bearers, 
and  the  domestics  of  the  deceased.  The 
funeral  procession  was  met  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  town  by  the  mayor  and  a 
numerous  assemblage  of  the  corpora- 
tion in  their  robes,  who  attended  to  pay 
their  last  tribute  of  respect  to  the  de- 
parted nobleman,  who  was  the  oldest 
freeman  of  their  body  ;  and,  in  com- 
pliance  with  His  Lord -hip's  will,  the 
members  who  attended  were  provided 
with  scarfs  and  hatbands.  Almost  all 
the  clergymen  of  the  town  and  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  attended  in  their  gowns. 
The  procession  moved  to  St.  Peter's 
church.  The  chief  mourner  was  Lord 
Henry  Moore,  second  son  of  the  de- 
ceased. The  other  mourners  were  the 
Rev.  Henry  Moore,  Ponsonby  Moore, 
Esq.,  R.  Moore,  Esq.  and  the  Rev.  C. 
Moore.  The  bearers  were,  Sir  Henry 
Meredyth,  Bart.;  B.  T.  Balfour,  Esq.; 
the  mayor,  the  recorder,  Major  Cheshire, 
Ralph  Smyth, Esq.  Dominick  O'Reilly, 
Esq.  and  the  Rev.  J.  Bagot.  * 

The  Duke  of  Gordon,  and  Earls  of 
Carlisle  and  Fitzwilliam,  are  now  the 
only  survivors  who  were  in  possession  of 
their  titles  at  the  accession  of  Geo.  III. 
DUDLEY  AND  WARD,  the 
Right  Hon.  Willam  Ward,  Viscount ; 
Baron  Ward  of  Birmingham  ;  a  Ba- 
ronet, and  Recorder  of  Kidderminster ; 
April,  25th,  at  his  seat  Himley  Hall, 
Co.  Stafford  ;  aged  74.  He  was  born 
January  21,  1750  ;  married  Aug.  1. 
1780,  Julia,  second  daughter  of  the  late 
Godfrey  Bosville,  of  Gunthwaite,  in 
Yorkshire,  Esq.  by  whom  he  had  issue 
an  only  son,  the  Hon.  John  William 
Ward,  F.  R.  S.  and  M.  P.  in  various 
parliaments,  who  succeeds  to  the  title 
and  estates. 

While  the  Hon.  William  Ward,  he 
himself  sat  as  knight  of  the  shire  for 
co.  of  Worcester,  in  the  parliament  con- 
voked in  1780.  Oct.  8,  1788,  he  suc- 
ceeded to  the  Viscounty  in  consequence 
of  the  demise  of  his  half-brother  John  ; 
and  by  that  event  became  the  owner  of 
considerable  wealth,  both  above  and  be- 
low ground. 

Shaw,  in  Ids  "  History  of  Stafford- 
shire," describes  Himley -Hall  as  con- 
sisting of  "  ajspacious  hall  or  dining 
room,  well  furnished  with  pictures,  &c. 
on  the  left  of  which  is  a  billiard -room, 


and  beyond  that  the  library.  The  op- 
posite wing  consists  of  a  large  and  ad- 
mirable music-room,  superbly  decorated 
with  full-length  portraits  of  the  late 
Lord  and  Lady  Dudley,  &c.,  and  at 
the  end,  one  of  the  best  private  organs 
in  the  kingdom,  His  Lordship  being 
much  devoted  to  music  ;  so  that  he 
never  fails  during  the  autumnal  and 
winter  months  to  entertain  his  friends 
at  his  hospitable  board,  with  the  enchant- 
ing harmony  of  the  Miss  Abrahams, 
Knivett,  £c. 

"  But  what  still  redounds  more  to  His 
Lordship's  credit,  is  that  inestimable 
gift  of  charity,  which  here  so  frequently 
makes  the  widow'sheart  to  sing  for  joy. 

"  This  place  has  likewise  been  long 
celebrated  for  its  splendid  fire-works 
upon  all  public  and  loyal  occasions. 

"  I  cannot  therefore  conclude  this  ac- 
count better  than  by  the  following  lines, 
written  by  one  of  His  Lordship's  inge- 
nious visitors,  W.  T.  Fitz- Gerald,  Esq. 
upon  a  board  now  fixed  against  a  re- 
markable old  yew-tree,  in  the  steep 
walk  on  the  left  of  the  house  : 

<  This  stately  yew  \vhich  has  for  ages 

stood 

The  gloomy  monarch  of  its  native  wood, 
Perhaps  some  Norman  Baron  planted 
here,  [fear. 

Who  liv'd  by  rapine,  and  who  ruled  by 
The  tree  a  symbol  of  its  master's  mind. 
Emblem  of  Death,  and  fatal  to  mankind! 
Beneath  its  boughs  no  verdant  plants  are 

seen, 

Its  baneful  branches  poison  every  green. 
And  thus  the  feudal  tyrant's  hated  reign 
Oppress'd  the  village,  and  laid  waste 
the  plain.  [ceeds, 

To  these  dire  scenes  a  happier  age  sue- 
No  despotthreatens,and  no  vassal  bleeds. 
At  Himley  now  the  poor  man  finds  re- 
lief, 

Forgets  his  poverty,and  checks  his  grief; 

Raises  his  languid  eyes  and  drooping 

head  [bread ; 

To  bless  the  liberal  hands  that  gives  him 

While  in  the  mansion  mirth  and  song 

attend,  [friend. 

To  cheer  the  stranger,  and  delight  the 

But  still  the  yew,  though  hastening  to 

decay, 

Retains  the  venom  of  its  pristine  day 
Its  branches  still  their  gloomy  nature 
show,  [low." 

And  frown  upon  the  cheerful  scene  be- 

We  with  pleasure  adopt  the  following 
character  of  this  benevolent  nobleman  : 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


429 


'*  The  death  of  men,  whose  lives  have 
been  only  distinguished  by  political  con- 
tention may  attract  notice,  but  cannot 
excite  sympathy.  Not  so,  when  the 
generous,  the  good,  and  virtuous  man 
departs  this  mortal  scene  ;  he  leaves  a 
void  in  society  not  easily  filled  up  ! 
Such  is  the  death  of  the  late  Lord  Dud- 
ley. This  amiable  nobleman  shunned 
the  walks  of  ambition,  for  the  tranquil 
paths  of  domestic  life,  of  which  he  was 
without  ostentation,  one  of  the  orna- 
ments ;  though  no  man  had  a  warmer 
attachment  to  the  constitution  of  his 
country,  or  felt  a  more  disinterested 
loyalty  to  his  sovereign.  His  benevo- 
lence was  as  princely  as  his  fortune  !  It 
was  not  confined  to  public  charities, 
where,  indeed,  his  name  was  always 
conspicuous,  but,  as  from  a  centre,  ex- 
tended to  a  circle  so  large,  that  none  but 
those  well  acquainted  with  the  populous 
part  of  the  country  in  which  thig»excel- 
lent  nobleman  resided,  can  form  a  just 
idea  of  its  magnitude.  Hundreds  of 
the  poor  will  feel  his  loss  ;  and  many 
in  a  superior  rank  of  life,  will  secretly 
lament  that  the  hand  is  cold  which 
voluntarily  relieved  them  from  the  pres- 
sure of  misfortune,  with  a  delicacy  of 
feeling  that  doubled  the  benevolence  of 
the  act. 

"  As  long  as  gratitude  warms  the 
human  heart,  the  memory  of  Lord  Dud- 
ley will  be  dear  !  and  though  he  died 
without  a  will,  the  widow,  the  orphan, 
and  the  friendless  have  this  consola- 
tion to  assuage  their  sorrow,  that,  his 
highly-gifted  son,  the  successor  to  his 
honours  and  splendid  fortune,  is  also 
the  heir  of  his  benevolence — ALTER  ET 
IDEM." 

DUPRE,  the  Rev.  Edward,  D.  C. 
L.  Rector  of  the  Parish  of  St.  Helier, 
Dean  of  Jersey,  Chaplain  of  the  gar- 
rison, formerly  Fellow  of  Pembroke 
College,  Oxford;  March  27,  after  a 
long  illness,  aged  69.  At  an  early 
period  of  life  he  displayed  great  taste  for 
the  belles  lettres,  which  he  never  after- 
wards abandoned.  In  the  more  serious 
callings  of  his  profession,  he  was  re- 
markable for  an  eloquence  at  once  man- 
ly and  impressive.  Never  did  a  Chris- 
tian orator  in  that  island  deliver  from 
the  pulpit  more  excellent  and  pathetic 
discourses.  As  a  member  of  the  legis- 
lative body,  he  supported  with  all  his 
power  the  sacred  course  of  social  order, 
and  he  was  the  most  formidable  oppo- 
nent to  every  species  of  licentiousness. 
His  superior  abilities  were  so  general- 


ly acknowleged,  that  to  him  was  con- 
stantly confided  the  drawing  up  of  the 
addresses  which  the  States  carried  to  the 
foot  of  the  throne.  In  private  life  he 
was  the  delight  of  society,  by  the  charms 
of  his  wit  and  the  extent  of  his  know- 
ledge. His  charity  was  without  osten- 
tation ;  the  unfortunate  never  sought 
relief  from  him  in  vain.  The  sweet- 
ness of  his  character,  and  his  domestic 
virtues,  constituted  the  happiness  of  a 
respectable  family,  by  whom  he  was 
tenderly  beloved. 


E 


EAMER,  Sir  John,  Knt.  Alderman 
of  London;  March  29th,  at  Brighton,  in 
his  74th  year.  He  was  originally  an  emi- 
nent wholesale  grocer  in  Wood- street  ; 
served  the  office  of  Sheriff  of  London  and 
Middlesex  in  ]  794 ;  was  elected  Alder- 
man of  Langbourn  Ward  Feb.  27,  1795; 
was  knighted  April  13,  1795  ;  and  was 
elected  Lord  Mayor  in  1801.  Sir  John 
Earner  was  Colonel  of  one  of  the  regi- 
ments of  London  Militia ;  and  in  con-  , 
sequence  of  disagreement  in  the  regi- 
ment, was  brought  to  a  court  martial 
in  1805,  when  he  was  honourably  ac- 
quitted, and  his  accusers  were  ordered  to 
be  displaced  from  the  regiment.  In  the 
latter  part  of  his  life,  he  was  elected  jus- 
tice of  the  Bridge  Yard,  and  sitting  al- 
derman for  the  borough  of  South wark. 
On  a  war  in,  treacherous  sun-shining  day, 
he  imprudently  ventured  to  sit  on  the 
beach,  which  sapped  the  foundation  of 
a  frame  already  binding  under  the 
weight  of  age  and  infirmity.  His  se- 
cond son,  Charles- Samler  Earner,  Esq. 
died  at  Ghazeepoore,  Aug.  21,  1805. 

EDWARDS,  George,  Esqr.  M.D. 
of  Barnard  Castle,  co.  Durham,  and 
late  of  Suffolk-street,  Charing  Cross  ; 
Feb.  17  ;  in  the  72d  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Edwards  was  a  gentleman  of 
literary  talents,  and  the  author  of  the 
following  political  works  : 

"  The  Aggrandisement  and  National 
Perfection  of  Great  Britain,"  1787, 
2  vols.  4to  ;  "The  Royal  and  Constitu- 
tional Regeneration  of  Great  Britain," 
1790,  2  vols.  4to.  ;  «  The  practical 
Means  of  effectually  exonerating  the 
public  Burthens,  of  paying  the  National 
Debt,  and  of  raising  the  Supplies  of 
War  without  new  Taxes,"  1790,  4 to.  j 
"  The  great  and  important  Discovery 
of  the  18th  Century,  and  the  Means  of 
setting  right  the  National  Affairs,' 


4SO 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX   FOR    1823. 


1781,  8vo.  ;  "  The  Descriptions  and 
Characters  of  the  different  Diseases  of 
the  Human  Body  ;  being  the  first  Vo- 
lume of  the  Franklinian  Improvement 
of  Medicine,"  1791,  4to.  ;  "Effectual 
Means  of  providing  against  the  Distress 
apprehended  from  the  Scarcity  and  high 
Price  of  different  Articles  of  Food," 
1800,  8vo.  ;  Practical  Means  of  coun- 
teracting the  present  Scarcity,  and  pre- 
venting Famine  in  future,"  1801,8vo.  ; 
"  The  Political  Interests  of  Great  Bri- 
tain," 1801,  8vo.  ;  "  Peace  on  Earth 
and  Good-will  towards  Men ;  or  the 
Civil,  Political,]and  Religious  Means  of 
establishing  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon 
Earth,"  1805,  8vo.  ;  '«  Measures  as 
well  as  Men  ;  or  the  present  and  future 
Interests  of  Great  Britain,"  1806, 8vo. ; 
"  A  Plain  Speech  to  the  Imperial  Par- 
liament of  Great  Britain,"  1807,  8vo.  ; 
' '  Means  adequate  to  the  present  Crisis," 
1807,  8vo.  ;  "The  Discovery  of  the  true 
and  natural  Era  of  Mankind,"  1807, 
"  The  National  Improvement  of  the 
British  Empire,  or  an  Attempt  to  rectify 
Public  Affairs,"  1808,  2  vols.  8vo. 

ELLIOT,  the  Rev.  W.  He  was 
a  native  of  Langholm,  N.  B.  and  was 
educated  at  the  university  of  Edin- 
burgh, where  he  distinguished  himself. 
On  his  leaving  college  in  1809,  he 
went  to  sea  with  Sir  P.  Malcolm.  Next 
year  he  sailed  to  the  East  Indies,  and 
when  die  expedition  was  undertaken 
against  Java,  he  was  on  board  the  flag- 
ship ;  and  was  made  purser  to  the  Ba- 
racouta  sloop  of  war.  On  his  return  to 
Madras,  he  found  he  had  been  pro- 
moted to  the  Bucephalus  frigate,  in 
which  vessel  he  returned  to  Europe  in 
1813.  After  remaining  nearly  a  year 
among  his  friends  in  Scotland,  he  again, 
joined  his  ship, and  was  employed  in  con- 
veying back  the  Russian  troops  to  St.  Pe- 
tersburgh,  and  afterwards  in  the  unfor- 
tunate expedition  against  New  Orleans. 
Though  following  a  profession  little 
congenial  to  literary  pursuits,  he  con  - 
tinued  with  great  diligence  a  course  of 
study,  and  in  addition  to  keeping  up  his 
acquaintance  with  the  classics,  he  added 
an  intimate  knowledge  of  most  of  the 
European  languages.  On  the  reduction 
of  our  naval  establishment,  he  directed 
his  views  to  the  Church  of  England, 
and  received  ordination  from  the  Bishop 
of  Norwich.  He  obtained  the  curacy 
of  Walford,  the  duties  of  which  he  dis- 
charged with  the  greatest  assiduity  and 
and  zeal.  Through  his  means  the  he- 
ritors liberally  endowed  a  school, which 
had  never  before  been  known  in  the 


parish,  and  he  had  the  satisfaction  to  sec 
it  productive  of  the  most  beneficial  ef- 
fects. He  died  at  the  early  age  of  33. 
ERSKINE,  Thomas,  Lord;  Nov. 
17th;  at  Almondale,  in  Scotland,  in 
his  75th  year.  As  it  is  impossible  at 
so  late  a  period  of  the  year  to  collect 
such  authentic  materials  as  would  enable 
us  to  do  justice  to  this  distinguished 
and  eloquent  man,  we  shall  abstain 
from  any  attempt  of  the  kind;  intending 
to  make  a  memoir  of  Lord  Erskine 
one  of  the  principal  features  of  our  next 
volume. 


F. 


FARNHAM,  John  James  Barry 
Maxwell,  second  Earl  of,  Viscount 
Maxwell,  Baron  of  Farnham,  Governor 
of  Cavan,  one  of  the  representative 
Peers  for  Ireland,  and  a  Trustee  of  the 
Linen  Manufacture ;  July  24,  at  the 
Pulteney  Hotel,  in  the  65th  year  of 
his  age.  His  Lordship  was  the  eldest 
son  of  Barry,  third  Lord  and  first  Earl 
of  Farnham,  by  his  first  wife  Margaret, 
second  daughter  and  co-heiress  of 
Robert  King,  of  Drensen,  co.  Meath, 
Esq.  He  was  born  in  February  1760; 
and  in  1784  married  Grace,  only  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Cuffe,  of  Grange,  co. 
Kilkenny,  Esq.,  but  has  left  no  issue  ; 
he  succeeded  his  father,  the  late  Earl, 
October  17,  18OO. 

He  was  endeared  to  his  numerous  re- 
latives and  friends  by  the  most  kind  and 
generous  qualities,  and  by  all  the  do- 
mestic virtues  which  constitute  the  chief 
ornament,  and  contribute  to  the  happi- 
ness of  private  life.  As  a  benevolent 
landlord,  constantly  residing  on  his 
estates,  spending  his  great  income  amidst 
his  numerous  tenantry,  encouraging 
their  industry,  relieving  their  wants, 
and  in  every  way  promoting  their  inte- 
rests. —  This  is  the  view  in  which  the 
exemplary  character  of  the  deceased 
nobleman  should  be  contemplated,  in 
justice  to  the  memory  of  departed  worth; 
and  in  this  important  view  he  was  a 
public  benefit  to  his  country.  It  is  re- 
markable, that  the  most  uniformly  tran- 
quil county  of  Ireland  was  that  in  which 
this  nobleman's  extensive  estates  were 
situated,  and  in  which  he  was  a  constant 
resident.  His  residence  amongst  his 
tenantry  was  the  result  not  of  private 
feeling  only,  but  of  the  most  honourable 
public  principles ;  and  if  absenteeship 
be  justly  reckoned  as  one  of  the  calami- 
ties of  Ireland,  we  say  to  her  landlords, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR    1823. 


431 


Remember  the  virtues  of  the  Earl  of 
Farnham  and  imitate  his  example! 

His  remains  were  removed  from  the 
Puheney  Hotel  to  be  interred  in  the 
family  vault  at  Cavan  in  Ireland,  which 
was  .performed  on  the  20th  of  August. 

Colonel  Barry,  the  distinguished  re- 
presentative of  the  county  of  Cavan, 
was  cousin-german  to  the  late  Earl  of 
Parnham,  and  succeeds  to  the  bulk  of 
his  estates,  and  to  the  barony  of  Farn- 
ham. 

The  great  body  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  county  assembled  on  the  melancholy 
occasion,  to  testify  the  universal  respect 
and  attachment  which  the  virtues  of  the 
deceased  patriotic  nobleman  had  pro- 
cured for  him,  and  the  general  sorrow 
for  his  loss.  Numbers  went  to  meet 
the  hearse  near  the  bounds  of  the  county, 
a  distance  of  18  or  20  miles  from  the 
place  of  interment;  and  such  was  the 
vast  multitude  of  persons  of  all  »anks 
who  mournfully  attended  his  remains  to 
the  grave,  that  the  funeral  procession, 
though  occupying  a  considerable  space 
in  breadth,  extended  to  a  length  of  up- 
wards of  three  miles.  It  was  impossible  ' 
so  supply  more  than  a  comparatively 
small  portion  of  the  vast  assemblage 
of  scarfs  and  hatbands,  though  more 
than  1500  were  distributed.  The  Lord 
Bishop  of  the  diocese,  attended  by  up- 
wards of  thirty  of  the  clergy  in  their 
robes,  met  the  coffin  on  its  entrance 
into  the  town,  and  conducted  it  to  the 
church ;  and  the  remains  of  the  deceased 
nobleman  were  conveyed  to  interment 
in  the  family  vault  with  every  funeral 
honour  due  to  his  distinguished  rank. 
But  the  tears  of  friends  —  of  domestics 
—  of  a  numerous  tenantry  sorrowing 
for  their  benevolent  landlord,  who  had 
so  long  resided  with  them  as  their 
friend  and  benefactor  —  the  grief  of  all 
who  were  assembled  on  that  sad  occa- 
sion —  these  were  distinctions  of  far 
higher  value,  which  no  rank  could  pro- 
cure, and  which  are  to  be  purchased  only 
by  virtues.  4 

FIELD,  Major  James,  late  of  the 
44th  regiment ;  and  some  time  resident 
at  Chicklade,  near  Hindon  (of  which 
place  he  was  a  native);  January  19th, 
at  Taunton;  aged  87.  Major  Field 
distinguished  himself  at  the  taking  of 
Quebec,  in  1759,  under  Wolfe,  and  was, 
perhaps,  the  last  surviving  officer  present 
at  that  engagement.  He  also  fought  at 
the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  when  a 
ball  penetrated  his  body,  and  passed  out 
of  his  side. 


FIELDING,  the  Reverend  Allen, 
of  St.  Stephens,  Canterbury.  He  waa 
the  second  son  of  Henry  Fielding,  Esq. 
the  most  celebrated  novel  writer  of 
this  country ;  and  younger  brother  of 
the  late  William  Fielding,  Esq.  the  emi- 
nent special  pleader  and  police  magis- 
trate, who  died  in  1819.  Mr.  A. 
Fielding  was  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford, 
M.  A.  1800;  Vicar  of  Shepherd's 
Well,  Kent,  1783;  of  Hadington, 
1787  ;  and  Rector  of  St.  Cosmas  and 
Damien  in  the  Blean,  1803. 
FISHER,  Alexander  Metcalfe,  Esq. 
April  22,  1822  ;  in  the  wreck  of  the 
Albion.  Mr.  Fisher  was  professor  of 
mathematics  and  natural  philosophy  in 
Yale  College.  He  was  born  in  Franklin, 
Massachusetts,  in  1794.  After  com- 
pleting the  preparatory  course  of  study, 
he  entered  Yale  College  in  the  year 
1809,  where  he  was  distinguished  for 
his  high  classical  attainments.  He  re- 
ceived his  bachelor's  degree  in  1813, 
when  he  left  the  college.  The  two  sub- 
sequent years  he  passed  partly  in  his 
native  town,  in  attending  to  moral  and 
metaphysical  science,  and  partly  in  theo- 
logical studies,  at  Andover.  In  1815 
he  was  elected  tutor  in  Yale  College. 
In  1817  he  was  chosen  adjunct  professor 
of  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy  ; 
and,  in  1819,  he  entered  upon  the  full 
duties  of  his  office.  Having  prepared 
a  full  course  of  lectures  in  natural  phi- 
losophy, lie  resolved  on  making  an  ex- 
cursion to  Europe,  and  embarked  at 
New  York  for  Liverpool,  on  board  the 
Albion  packet.  In  the  wreck  of  that 
vessel,  professor  Fisker  is  said  to  have 
been  much  injured  when  the  masts  were 
carried  away,  but  the  particular  circum- 
stances are  unknown.  Soon  after  the 
intelligence  of  his  death  was  received 
in  America,  an  eulogy,  embracing  the 
principal  circumstances  of  his  life  and 
character,  was  delivered  by  professor 
Kingsley  in  the  College  Chapel. 

FISHER,  R.  B.  Esq.  at  Guernsey. 
Mr.  Fisher  was  one  of  the  brothers  of 
the  Bishop  of  Salisbury  ;  Paymaster  of 
the  1st  battalion  of  the  60th  regiment, 
and  formerly  Steward  of  Saint  Mary 
Magdalen  College,  Oxford.  —  He  was, 
we  believe,  the  author  of  the  following 
works  :  —  "A  practical  Treatise  on 
Copyhold  Tenure,"  8vo.,  1794,  2dedit. 
1804 ;  "  A  Sketch  of  the  City  of  Lis- 
bon, witli  Observations  on  the  Manners, 
&c.  of  the  Portuguese,"  12m«.  1811. 

FITZGERALD,  the  Honourable 
Edward;  June,  3d,  at  Sierra  Leone.  Mr. 


432 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX    FOR    1823. 


Fitzgerald  held  the  office  of  chief  justice 
and  judge  of  the  vice-admiralty  court 
in  the  colony  of  Sierra  Leone,  and  was 
also  commissioner  of  arbitration  on 
the  part  of  his  Majesty  in  the  mixed 
commission  under  the  treaty  for  the 
prevention  of  the  slave  trade.  Mr. 
Fitzgerald  was  a  native  of  Ireland. 
When  he  came  over  to  this  country,  for 
the  purpose  of  keeping  his  terms  at  one 
of  the  inns  of  court,  he  employed  him- 
self for  some  years  in  the  arduous  oc- 
cupation of  reporting  the  debates  in 
parliament,  for  which  his  talents  and 
acquirements  eminently  qualified  him. 
He  afterwards  conducted  "  The  Pilot," 
a  respectable  evening  newspaper.  Mr. 
Fitzgerald  was  a  man  of  most  amiable 
disposition  and  gentlemanly  manners, 
highly  esteemed  by  a  large  circle  of 
friends,  whose  grief  at  his  untimely 
death  is  increased  by  the  reflection  that 
he  had  nearly  completed  the  term  of  his 
residence  on  the  African  coast,  and  in  a 
few  months  would  have  been  enabled  to 
return  home,  in  the  possession  of  inde- 
pendence, if  not  of  affluence.  The 
malignant  fever,  however,  which  has 
been  so  fatal  in  the  colony  .of  Sierra 
Leone,  in  a  few  days  put  an  end  to  all 
those  pleasing  anticipations.  In  1811 
Mr.  Fitzgerald  published  a  very  pleasing 
poem,  called  "  The  Regent's  F^te. " 
His  poetical  powers,  indeed,  were  such, 
that  had  his  more  important  avocations 
allowed  him  to  cultivate  them,  they 
would  of  themselves  have  raised  his 
name  to  distinction. 

FORDYCE,  Mrs.  Henrietta;  Jan. 
10,  at  Bath  ;  aged  89.  She  was  relict 
of  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  James  Fordyce, 
author  of  the  celebrated  "  Sermons  to 
Young  Women,"  and  aunt  to  Mrs. 
Fordyce  Knapp.  Distinguished  in  her 
early  years  for  rare  and  splendid  talents, 
genius,  and  brilliancy  of  wit,  together 
with  piety,  rectitude  of  thought,  and 
simplicity  of  mind  and  manners  seldom 
equalled,  she  engaged  and  secured  the 
esteem  and  best  affections  of  Doctor 
Fordyce  ;  and  during  a  period  of  thirty 
years,  which  they  passed  together,  he 
found  in  her  the  bright  pattern  of  her 
sex. 

FREER,  George,  Esq. ;  Jan.  2nd  ; 
aged  53.-  Mr.  Freer  was  senior  Surgeon 
of  the  General  Hospital,  Birmingham, 
and  author  of  "  Observations  on  Aneu- 
rism, and  some  Diseases  of  the  Arterial 
System,  "4to.  1807. 

FRYER,  Henry,  Esq,at  Stamford. 
Mr  Fryer  was  a  most  benevolent  gen- 


tleman, as  the  following  account  of  the 
charities  which  he  bequeathed  will 
show: 

"  The  interest  of  20001.  perpetually 
to  be  applied  for  the  use  of  the  poor 
widows  of  Bedesmen  who  at  their  deaths 
were  upon  the  foundation  of  Lord 
Burghley's  Hospital  in  St.  Martin's, 
and  Truesdale's  Hospital  in  Stamford ; 
the  interest  of  10001.  perpetually  to  the 
trustees  of  Hopkins's  Hospital ;  of 
the  like  sum  to  the  trustees  of  William- 
son's Callis ;  of  the  like  sum  to  the 
trustees  of  All  Saints' Callis;  and  of 
the  like  sum  to  the  Trustees  of  Snow- 
den's  Hospital,  for  the  poor  widows  for 
the  time  being  on  those  establishments 
in  Stamford,  which  were  before  very 
scantily  endowed ;  the  interest  of  two 
sums  of  50/.  to  be  annually  applied 
in  the  purchase  of  meat  during  the 
winter  for  the  use  of  the  poor  of  Stain  - 
field,  in  the  parish  of  Morton,  near 
Bourn,  and  of  Folksworth  in  Hunting- 
donshire ;  and  the  interest  of  1OOI.  to 
be  distributed  by  the  vicar  of  St.  Mar- 
tin's yearly,  at  Christmas,  among  twenty 
poor  widows  of  that  parish  ;  to  the 
Blue-coat  School  in  Stamford,  1001.  ;  to 
the  National  School  for  Girls  in  Stam- 
ford, 1001.  ;  to  the  Sunday  School  in 
St.  Martin's,  lOQf.;  to  the  Peterborough 
Clergy  Charity,  100/.  ;  to  the  Lincoln 
Clergy  Charity,  100/.;  to  the  Society  for 
promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  100/. ; 
to  the  Society  for  the  Relief  of  Persons 
imprisoned  for  Small  Debts  100/.  ;  to 
the  Asylum  for  Deaf  and  Dumb,  1001.  j 
to  the  School  for  Indigent  Blind  1001. ; 
and  to  the  Philanthropic  Society,  100/. 
There  is  a  bequest  of  1 0001.  for  charita- 
ble purposes  at  the  discretion  of  the 
executors  ;  and  the  whole  residue  of  the 
personal  estate,  which  we  understand  is 
considerable,  is  given  towards  the  esta- 
blishment of  a  General  Infirmary  for  the 
town  of  Stamford  and  the  county  of 
Rutland  and  surrounding  country,  if  by 
the  co-operation  of  benevolent  indi- 
viduals that  object  can  be  carried  into 
effect  within  a  limited  time,  —  or  if  not, 
then  the  fund  is  disposed  of  in  favour  of 
existing  infirmaries  or  hospitals. " 


G. 


GALLOWAY,  Mr.  Thomas,  aged 
95  years  ;  a  native  of  the  parish  of  Mon- 
zie.  He  belonged  to  the  Duke  of 
Perth's  regiment,  and  with  them  fought 
in  the  battle  of  Culloden,and  is  supposed 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823- 


to  have  outlived  all  his  contemporaries  of 
that  time.  After  the  termination  of  that 
unfortunate  struggle,  lie  continued  se- 
creted among  his  friends  in  the  country, 
till  the  general  amnesty,  when  he  entered 
upon  a  small  farm,  which  care  and  good 
management  turned  to  such  good  ac- 
count, that  his  little  capital  soon  accumu- 
lated, till  he  became  one  of  the  greatest 
and  most  respectable  farmers  in  Strath- 
earn  ;  "but  Fortune,  ever  fickle,"  at 
length  turned  her  back  on  her  former  fa- 
vourite. He  got  himself  involved  in  seve- 
ral law  suits,  and  met  with  so  many  losses 
by  people  in  the  country,  that  he  died  in 
the  utmost  poverty,  being  obliged  to 
friends  and  neighbours  for  his  support. 

GASCOIGNE,Mr.  Thomas;  Dec, 
23,1822,  at  East  Retford,  county  of 
Derby.  He  was  on  that  day  found 
dead  in  his  own  house,  lying  with  his 
face  on  the  floor,  and  his  feet  in  bed.  — 
The  Coroner's  Jury  Returned  a  Verdict 
of,  Died  by  the  visitation  of  God. 

Mr.  Gascoignc  was  a  truly  eccentric 
character,  and  no  person  ever  had  a 
more  decided  claim  to  the  appellation  of 
miser.  He  was  born  at  Derby,  24th 
June,  1738.  At  an  early  period  of  his 
life,  Mr.  Gascoigne's  parents  removed 
from  Derby  to  Ordsall,  a  village  near 
Retford ;  when  arrived  at  a  proper  age, 
he  was  bound  apprentice  to  a  shoemaker 
of  Retford,  who  was  a  burgess  of  that 
place,  and  consequently,  at  the  close  of 
his  apprenticeship,  Mr.  G.  was  entitled 
to  the  privilege  of  a  freeman,  and  at  his 
death  was  the  oldest  burgess  upon  the 
list.  Some  time  after  the  expiration  of 
his  apprenticeship  he  obtained  a  situation 
in  the  Excise  at  Derby,  which  he  re- 
tained until  an  accident  obliged  him  to 
retire  on  a  pension,  when  about  forty. 
About  this  time,  an  uncle  of  Mr.  G.  's 
died,  who  left  him  the  owner  of  several 
houses,  situated  in  Derby,  one  of  which 
is  the  Crown  Inn  :  he  then  returned  to 
Retford,  and  followed  his  vocation  as  a 
shoemaker,  which  he  continued  to  do 
till  within  the  last  ten  years.  During 
the  whole  of  his  long  life  he  was  never 
known  to  employ  a  doctor.  He  regu- 
larly went  once  a  year  to  Derby  to 
receive  his  rents,  on  which  occasion  he 
put  on  his  b<;st  coat  and  boots,  and 
cocked-hat,  all  of  which  have  now  been 
in  use  for  more  than  forty  years.  It  was 
his  practice  always  to  walk,  carrying 
with  him  a  pair  of  old  saddle  bags,  hung 
over  his  shoulders,  containing  provisions 
necessary  for  his  whole  journey.  On 
liis  way  thither,  as  also  on  his  return, 
vor,.  vin. 


he  generally  reposed  during  the  night  on 
Nottingham  Forest,  thinking  himself 
and  property  more  safe  there  than  in  a 
public  house,  and  being  too  penurious 
to  pay  for  a  bed,  or  call  at  an  inn  for 
refreshment.  His  saddle-bags  were  not 
only  used  for  the  purpose  of  carrying 
the  provisions  necessary  for  the  journey, 
but  were  also  a  subservient  receptacle 
for  potatoes,  and  every  other  eatable 
which  might  fall  in  his  way,  and  which 
he  did  not  fail  to  carry  home  with  him. 
During  one  of  his  tours  to  Derby,  about 
-five  years  since,  his  house  was  broken 
open,  and  robbed  of  bills  and  cash  to 
the  amount  of  5001. ,  which  was  but  a 
small  sum  compared  with  what  was  se- 
creted in  the  house  and  escaped  the 
search  of  the  robbers.  His  punctuality 
as  a  paymaster,  for  his  rent  and  all  that 
necessity  compelled  him  to  purchase, 
was  very  strict,  as  was  also  his  accuracy 
as  a  book-keeper ;  for  at  the  time  of  the 
robbery,  he  had  carefully  booked  the 
number  of  every  note,  the  name  of  the 
person  who  signed  and  entered  them, 
and  the  date :  he  likewise  kept  an  ac- 
count of  his  expenditure,  which  for 
many  weeks  appeared  to  be  only  a  penny 
and  twopence  per  week.  As  he  chiefly 
subsisted  on  what  he  picked  up  in  the 
streets,  principally  on  market  days,  he 
became  well  known  to  all  who  frequented 
the  market,  particularly  as  he  always 
wore  a  long  coat,  which,  with  his- stock- 
ings, could  scarcely  be  said  to  contain  a 
single  particle  of  the  original,  being 
patched  and  darned  with  worsted.  In 
the  use  of  coals  he  was  very  sparing,  for 
in  making  his  fire  he  first  put  a  few 
sticks  and  coals,  then  a  tier  of  stones, 
next  a  few  more  coals,  and  at  top  another 
tier  of  stones, which  in  time  became  red- 
hot  ;  but  it  was  only  to  bake  his  bread 
that  he  made  a  fire  :  he  also  roasted 
potatoes  enough  to  serve  him  till  ho 
baked  again.  His  house  was  truly 
a  miserable  abode,  and  had  more  the 
appearance  of  a  receptacle  of  filth,  than 
the  residence  of  a  human  being ;  the 
walls  had  not  been  white-washed,  nor 
the  floors  washed,  for  twenty  years.  In 
one  corner  lay  a  heap  of  stones  for  his 
fire;  in  another,  hundreds  of  pieces 
of  old  leather,  which  he  had  gathered  for 
the  purpose  of  patching  his  shoes.  The 
principal  part  of  his  furniture  consisted 
of  an  old  clock,  a  table,  bed,  and  several 
old  chairs,  all  of  which  had  been  the 
property  of  his  father;  none  of  them 
appeared  to  have  been  cleaned  for  a 
number  of  years,  or  even  to  have  been 


434 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823, 


removed  from  their  situation,  they  being 
covered  with  dust  to  a  great  thickness. 
Mr.  Gascoigne  lived  and  died  a  bache- 
lor. The  full  amount  of  his  property 
is  not  known,  but  supposed  to  be  some 
thousands,  the  whole  of  which  will  be- 
long to  two  nephews. 

GIFFARD,  Thomas,  Esq,  of  Chil- 
lington,  co.  Stafford;  August  1,  in 
his  60th  year. 

Mr.  Giffard  was  a  Roman  Catholic, 
and  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  days 
on  his  ancient  family  estate.  He  was 
in  early  life  one  of  tha  favoured  and  in- 
timate friends  of  his  present  Majesty. 
They  were  then  thought  to  be  two  of 
the  most  accomplished  men  in  Europe. 

In  1788  he  married  the  Hon.  Char- 
lotte, second  daughter  of  William  se- 
cond Lord  Viscount  Courtenay,  who 
survives  him  ;  and  by  whom  he  has  left 
issue  five  sons  (the  eldest  of  whom,  Tho- 
mas William,  born  March  28,  1789, 
succeeds  to  the  estate)  and  seven 
daughters. 

Mr.  Giffard  had  his  full  share  of  ec . 
centricities;  but  among  other  good  qua- 
lities, he  was  never  known  to  forfeit  his 
word :  this  he  always  held  as  sacred  as 
his  bond. 

The  first  mention  we  find  of  this  re  - 
spectable  family — a  family  distinguished 
by  deeds  of  chivalry  and  valour, — not 
inferior  to  many  in  the  British  peerage 
in  antient,  pure,  and  noble  lineage — and 
who  have  inherited  the  estates  on  which 
they  reside  ever  since  the  period  of  the 
Norman  Conquest, — is  in  Erdeswick's 
"  Survey  of  Staffordshire;"  and  is  as 
follows  :  "  I  take  it  that  at  the  time  of 
the  Conquest,  Chilli ngton  was  the  inhe- 
ritance of  Will'usfilius  Corbution;  who 
held  the  same  of  the  Bishop :  for  after, 
about  the  time  of  King  Stephen,  Peter 
Corbeson  gave  the  same  (as  I  take  it)  in 
frank  marriage  with  Margaret,  his  sis- 
ter, to  Peter  Giffard;  which  Peter  I  take 
to  be  a  younger  son  of  some  of  the  Gif- 
fards,  Earls  (Dukes)  of  Buckingham." 
In  early  periods  many  members  of  this 
family  have  held  high  and  important 
stations  in  the  county.  — Thomas  Gif- 
fard, of  Chillington  and  Carswall  Cas 
tie,  in  the  12th  year  of  the  reign  of 
Henry  IV. ;  John  Giffard,  9th  of  Henry 
VIII.  ;  Sir  John  Giffard,  knt.  ISthand 
17th  of  Henry  VIII.;  Thomas  Giffard, 
21st  Henry  VIII.;  Sir  John  Giflard, 
knt  22nd  and  23rd  Henry  VIII.;  Sir 
Thomas  Giffard,  knt.  1st  Mary,  who 
was  also  elected  a  representative  in  par- 
liament  for  the  county  ;  and  John  Gif- 
21 


fard,  1 5th  Elizabeth ;   were  sheriffs  of 
the  comity. 

A  visit  from  Queen  Elizabeth  to  an 
ancestor  of  Mr  Giffard  at  Chillington 
in  1575,  is  noticed  in  the  new  edition  of 
the  "  Progresses "  of  that  illustrious 
Queen,  vol.  i.  p.  535  ;  and  it  is  proba- 
ble, that  the  family  was  frequently  ho- 
noured by  a  visit  from  King  James  the 
First,  who  was  several  times  in  Staf- 
fordshire. 

After  the  battle  of  Worcester,  Colonel 
Giffard  was  instrumental  in  the  preserv- 
ation of  his  Majesty  Charles  the  Second, 
whom  he  sheltered  on  his  estate  at  the 
White  Ladies,  till  a  place  of  better  con- 
cealment was  provided  at  Boscobel. 

Aug.  14,  the  remains  of  the  late  Mr. 
Giffard  were  removed  from  Chillington 
Hall  for  interment  in  the  ancient  ceme- 
tery of  the  family,  situated  in  the  chan- 
cel of  Brewood.  After  the  obsequies, 
according  to  the  ritual  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  church,  had  been  performed, 
the  body  was  laid  in  state.  The  coffin 
lay  under  a  black  velvet  pall ;  at  each 
end  were  placed  branches,  in  which  large 
wax  lights  were  burning  ;  at  the  top  of 
the  room  stood  a  marble  bust  of  the  de- 
ceased, a  crape  scarf  hanging  from  the 
shoulder  to  the  bottom  of  the  pedestal, 
and  in  the  centre  of  the  room  was  placed 
a  hatchment,  emblazoned  with  the  arms 
of  Giffard,  impaling  those  of  Courtenay. 

The  cavalcade  attending  his  funeral 
reached  nearly  a  mile  in  length,  and  as 
it  slowly  proceeded  along  the  extensive 
avenue  in  front  of  the  hall,  the  throng 
of  people  accumulating  as  it  advanced, 
produced  an  effect  of  imposing  and  me- 
lancholy grandeur. 

GILCHRIST,  Octavius,  Esq.  F. 
S.  A.  at  Stamford,  co.  Lincoln,  in  his 
44th  year. 

Mr.  Gilchrist  was  a  distinguished 
literary  character.  His  father  served 
during  the  German  war  as  lieutenant 
and  surgeon  in  the  3rd  regiment  of  dra- 
goon guards,  but  upon  the  return  of  this 
regiment  to  England,  he  quitted  the  ser- 
vice, and  retired  to  Twickenham,  where 
the  subject  of  this  memoir  was  born  in 
1779.  He  was  educated  at  Magdalen 
College,  Oxford.  He  was  brother  to 
Mr.  A.  R.  Gilchrist,  an  artist  of  con- 
siderable genius,  who  formerly  resided 
at  Oxford.  He  left  the  University  to  as- 
sist a  relation  engaged  in  trade  at  Stam- 
ford, which  he  afterwards  carried  on  for 
his  own  benefit.  In  1804  he  married 
the  daughter  of  Mr.  J.  Nowlan,  of  the 
Hermitage,  London.  He  was  a  writer. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823, 


4-35 


in  the  Quarterly  Review,  and  contri- 
buted some  notes  to  Mr.  Gilford's  edi- 
tion of  Ben  Jonson's  Works.  Mr. 
Gilchrist  published,  '*  Examination  of 
the  Charges  of  Ben  Jonson's  Enmity 
towards  Shakspeare,"  8vo.  1808.  "The 
Poems  of  Richard  Corbet,  Bishop  of 
Norwich,  with  notes,  and  a  Life  of  the 
Author,"  8vo.  1808.  "  Letter  to  W. 
Giffbrd,  Esq.  on  a  late  edition  of  Ford's 
Plays,"  8vo.  1811.  Early  in  1814,  Mr. 
Gilchrist  printed,  but  we  believe  never 
circulated,  proposals  for  publishing  a 
"  Select  Collection  of  Old  Plays,  in  15 
vols.  8vo.;  with  Biographical  Notices, 
and  Notes  critical  and  explanatory.  " 
It  was  the  expectation  of  Mr.  Gilchrist, 
M  not  only  to  include  within  15  vols.  a 
series  of  dramas  sufficiently  numerous 
and  varied  to  illustrate  the  rise  and  pro- 
gress of  the  English  stage,  but  to  com- 
prehend every  histrionic  production  of 
what  may  be  called  the  minor  dramatic 
writers  anterior  to  the  revolution,  in  his 
j  udgment  worthy  of  preservation. ' '  The 
series  was  to  have  included  the  Collec- 
tions of  Dodsley,  Reed,  and  Hawkins. 
To  these  were  to  have  been  added  selec- 
tions from  the  works  of  Greene,  Peele, 
Lodge,  Nash,  and  others,  equally  inte- 
resting from  their  rarity  and  literary 
merit  ;  with  specimens  of  Masques  and 
Pageants  by  Peele,  Middleton,  and  Hay- 
wood.  The  late  controversy  respecting 
Pope  arose  out  of  an  article  of  Mr.  Gil- 
christ's  published  in  the  London  Maga- 
zine. 

GRANT,  Charles,  Esq.  31st  Octo- 
ber ;  at  his  house  in  Russell  Square. 

He  did  not  retire  to  rest  till  about 
four  in  the  morning,  and  f.t  six  he  was  a 
corpse.  Only  his  medical  attendant  and 
his  butler  were  in  the  house,  Mrs.  Grant 
and  family  having  for  some  time  resided 
at  Dartford.  After  filling  some  of  the 
most  responsible  civil  offices  in  Bengal 
at  an  early  period  of  his  life,  with  great 
credit  to  himself,  and  advantage  to  the 
East  India  Company,  Mr.  Grant  was, 
in  1794,  elected  a  director  of  the  East 
India  Company,  and  frequently  sus- 
tained the  weighty  and  responsible  situ- 
ation of  Deputy  Chairman  and  Chair- 
man of  the  Court.  Mr.  Grant  was  more 
than  80  years  of  age.  He  was  a  native 
of  the  North  of  Scotland,  and  possessed 
considerable  estates  in  the  county  of  In- 
verness, which  he  represented  for  many 
years  in  parliament.  We  are  not  with- 
out hopes  that  we  shall  be  able  in  our 
next  volume  to  present  our  readers  with 
a  memoir  of  this  gentleman,  than  whom 


few  individuals  ever  passed  a  more  ac- 
tive, useful,  and  honorable  life. 

GRAY,  Charles  Gordon,  Esq.  Dec. 
19,  1822;  at  Siratton  House,  near  Chil- 
compton,  Somerset ;  aged  63. 

Mr.  Gray  was  a  Vice  President  of  the 
Bath  and  West  of  England  Agricultural 
Society,  to  which  society  his  scientific 
knowledge  of  stock,  and  of  husbandry 
in  general ,  is  well  known. 

He  has  left  a  widow  and  a  family  of 
children. 

He  was  of  the  Grays  of  Sutherland- 
shire.  His  grandfather,  Mr.  Hugh  Gray, 
of  Helmsdalein  that  county,  was  a  gen- 
tleman farmer,  well  skilled  in  farming 
and  farming  stock,  whose  eldest  son, 
Robert  G.,  went  out  an  adventurer  to 
Jamaica,  and  became  a  respectable  and 
successful  planter,  was  particularly  fa- 
mous for  his  skill  of  cattle,  and  for 
having  the  best  pen  of  them  in  that 
island  ;  so  that  skill  in  farming  stock 
and  husbandry  might  be  said^  to  be 
hereditary  in  the  family.  He  was 
very  much  esteemed  in  Jamaica,  and 
was  father  of  the  deceased. 

All  the  Grays  of  Sutherland  were  de- 
scended from  a  son  of  Lord  Gray,  who 
having  killed  the  constable  of  Dundee, 
in  revenge  for  an  injury  done  to  his 
father,  fled  thither  and  concealed  himself. 
They  spread  into  many  branches,  ob- 
tained large  possessions,  and  were,  for 
the  space  of  about  200  years,  among  the 
most  respectable  families  in  that  county. 
Of  late  only  they  have  become  nearly 
extinct,  except  in  the  female  descend- 
ants. 

GRIME,  Anne,  Widow;  March 
23 ;  at  Pilling  in  Lancashire.  She  was 
married  the  first  time  at  the  age  of 
17,  was  a  wife  18  years,  then  conti- 
nued a  widow  14  years  :  married  again, 
and  was  a  wife  27  years ;  again  a  widow 
4  years  ;  at  the  age  of  80  she  married 
for  the  last  time,  and  continued  a  wife  13 
years.  She  died  at  the  age  of  93,  being 
only  a  widow  a  few  months. —  She  had  no 
children,  save  to  her  first  husband,  from 
whom  sprung  upwards  of  300  children 
and  grandchildren,  40  of  whom  were 
great  great  grandchildren. 

GROSVENOR,  John,  Esq.  the  ce- 
lebrated surgeon  of  Oxford,  June  30, 
at  Oxford,  in  his  81st  year. 

Mr.  Grosvenor  was  the  son  of  Ste- 
phen Grosvenor,  gent.  Sub-treasurer  of 
Christ  Church,  in  the  University  of  Ox- 
ford, by  Sarah,  daughter  of  Rev. 

Tottie,  Vicar  of  Eccleshal,  and  was  de- 
scended from  a  long  line  of  ancestors 
f  T  2 


436 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


for  many  years  settled  at  Ongarsheath 
in  the  parish  of  Ashley,  Staffordshire, 
a  younger  branch  of  the  family  of  that 
name  which  came  over  with  the  Con- 
queror, and  of  which  the  elder  is  enno- 
bled in  the  person  of  Earl  Grosvenor, 
of  Eaton  Hall,  Cheshire. 

Mr.  Grosvenor  was  educated  under 
Mr.  Russell  of  Worcester,  a  gentleman 
of  great  eminence  in  his  profession ;  and 
after  walking  the  hospitals  in  London, 
at  a  very  early  period  of  life,  obtained 
the  situation  of  house  surgeon  to  the 
Lock  Hospital.  From  this  place  he 
moved,  in  the  year  1768,  to  Oxford, 
upon  the  invitation  of  his  uncle  Dr.  Tot- 
tie,  canon  of  Christ  Church  (the  author 
of  the  well  known  Sermons,  and  of  the 
admirable  Epitaph  on  Bishop  Hough  in 
Worcester  Cathedral,)  a  person  then  of 
great  influence,  and  under  whose  ap- 
pointment Mr.  Stephen  Grosvenor  had, 
by  accepting  an  office  of  no  great  con- 
sideration at  Christ  Church,  endeavourd 
to  retrieve  the  prodigality  of  his  father 
and  grandfather,  by  which  the  estates  of 
the  family  had  been  entirely  dilapidated. 
Soon  after  his  settlement  at  Oxford, 
Mr.  Grosvenor  succeeded  to  'the  place 
of  anatomical  surgeon  on  Dr.  Lee's 
foundation,  which  recommended  him 
to  the  friendship  of  Dr.  Parsons,  the 
reader  under  that  endowment,  and  the 
most  popular  physician  ever  known  in 
Oxford,  between  whom  and  himself  the 
closest  intimacy  afterwards  subsisted, 
and  which  introduced  him  also  into  full 
practice  at  Christ  Church.  In  this  situ- 
ation he  distinguished  himself  by  extra- 
ordinary skill  and  knowledge,  and  occa- 
sionally in  the  absence  of  the  reader,  he 
lectured  to  the  students  on  topics  appli- 
cable to  the  dissection  of  the  day.  Mr. 
Grosvenor  gradually  obtained  consider- 
able reputation  as  a  surgeon ;  and  on 
the  death  of  Sir  Charles  Nourse,  he 
found  himself  in  complete  possession 
not  only  of  nearly  all  the  business  in  the 
university  and  city,  but  of  that  also  on 
every  side  within  30  miles  of  Oxford. 
At  one  period  he  might  be  said  almost 
wholly  to  have  lived  on  horseback. 
Though  urged  frequently,  from  the  con- 
fidence reposed  in  his  judgment,  to  en- 
large the  sphere  of  his  exertions,  he 
most  scrupulously  and  most  honourably 
acted  on  the  distinction  preserved  at 
Oxford  between  the  different  branches 
of  the  medical  profession,  between  the 
physicians,  surgeons,  and  apothecaries  ; 
and  while  he  never  condescended  to  soil 
his  fingers  with  the  preparations  of 


pharmacy,  he  constantly  refused  at  the 
same  time  to  invade  the  province  of  the 
physician.  He  practised  simply  as  a 
surgeon,  in  the  proper  and  strict  sense 
of  the  word.  In  the  talents  which  be- 
long to  this  profession,  he  probably  never 
was  surpassed.  With  powers  of  discri- 
mination, which  enabled  him  in  the  most 
difficult  cases  to  form  a  correct  opinion, 
he  united  a  firmness  of  mind  which  dis- 
posed him  instantly  on  the  exigency  to 
act  on  it ;  and  in  the  performing  of  the 
necessary  operation,  while  his  skill  and 
anatomical  knowledge  secured  the  pa- 
tient from  all  danger,  the  softness  and 
delicacy  of  his  touch,  the  unfailing  and 
almost  magical  dexterity  of  his  hand, 
contributed  greatly  to  lessen  the  pain, 
and  assuage  the  terrors  with  which  the 
exhibitions  of  surgical  skill  are  too  often 
attended. 

Subitoque  omnis  de  corpore  fugit 

Quippe  dolor  ;  ornnis  fletit  imo  vulnere 

sanguis. 
Jamque  secuta  manum,  nullo  cogente, 

sagitta  [vires. 

Excidit,  atque  novae  rediere  in  pristina 
As  his  assistance  was  called  in  by  the 
country  practitioners  in  all  cases  of  dif- 
ficulty and  importance,  his  experience 
was  not  less  than  that  of  a  metropolitan 
operator ;  and  from  hence  probably  he 
derived  that  confidence  and  firmness, 
without  which  no  certainty  of  result 
can  be  expected,  and  no  expertness  can 
exist.  He  was  no  friend  to  a  frequent 
and.copious  administration  of  medicines, 
from  a  want  of  confidence  in  their  vir- 
tues, where  lightly  or  indiscriminately 
applied :  but  in  cases  where  the  use  of 
specifics  was  required,  he  exacted  a 
faithful  and  rigid  attention  to  his  pre- 
scriptions. Elevated  greatly  above  his 
provincial  contemporaries  by  his  supe- 
rior eminence,'  he  was  a  stranger  to  the 
feelings  of  jealousy,  and  never  resorted 
to  those  arts  of  detraction  which  some- 
times disgrace  professional  competition. 
Of  himself  and  his  own  successful  ca- 
reer he  never  spoke  ;  he  left  his  ser- 
vices to  speak  for  themselves,  fully  per- 
suaded that  no  efforts  are  more  gene- 
rally abortive  than  those  of  the  person 
who  tries  by  sounding  the  trumpet  of 
his  own  merits  to  swell  his  importance 
beyond  its  proper  limits.  In  the  latter 
period  of  his  practice,  Mr.  Grosvenor 
rendered  himseif  justly  celebrated 
throughout  the  kingdom  by  the  appli- 
cation of  friction  to  lamenesses  or  im- 
perfections of  motion,  arising  from  stiff" 
or  diseased  joints.  He  had  first  used  it 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


4-37 


with  success  in  a  complaint  of  his  own,  a 
morbid  affection  of  the  knee ;  and  by  de- 
grees its  efficacy  was  so  acknowledged, 
that  he  was  visited  by  patients  from  the 
most  distant  parts,  of  the  highest  rank 
and  respectability;  among  others,  by  Mr. 
Hey,  the  able  surgeon  of  Leeds,  whose 
life  has  been  given  to  the  public  by  Mr. 
Pearson  of  Golden-square.  Those  who 
have  benefited  by  the  process  recom- 
mended by  him,  and  pursued  under  his 
own  immediate  superintendance,  in 
cases  of  this  sort,  and  from  total  inabi- 
lity have  been  restored  to  a  free  use  of 
their  limbs,  are  best  able  to  attest  his 
merits.  That  he  was  scarcely  in  any 
instance  known  to  fail,  was  perhaps  at- 
tributable to  the  circumstance  that  he 
used  his  utmost  efforts  to  dissuade  from 
coining  to  Oxford  to  try  the  experiment, 
every  one,  of  whose  case,  from  previous 
communications,  he  entertained  any 
doubt.  Possessed  at  this  time  of  afflu- 
ence, he  became  very  indifferent  about 
business,  and  at  a  time  of  life  when  he 
was  still  capable  of  active  exertions,  and 
his  strength  was  but  little  impaired,  he 
began  to  contract  his  practice.  This  he 
effected  by  resigning,  in  the  first  in- 
stance, the  Anatomical  Surgeonship  at 
Christ  Church,  by  delining  his  Univer- 
sity avocations,  and  gradually  withdraw- 
ing himself  from  country  journies  and 
attendances.  For  the  last  ten  years  of 
his  life,  he  had  wholly  given  up  his  pro- 
fession, except  in  the  instances  of  his 
rubbing  patients,  and  those  also  he  dis- 
couraged as  much  as  possible.  In  his 
general  deportment,  Mr.  Grosvenor  was 
reserved,  and  frequently  taciturn,  espe- 
cially among  those  of  his  own  sex  ;  but 
in  the  company  of  ladies,  his  unsociable 
disposition  dissipated ;  he  became  lively 
and  jocular,  and  indulged  in  an  easy 
raillery  and  playful  badinage  which  ne- 
ver failed  to  delight  highly  the  younger 
part  of  his  fair  auditors.  He  had  in- 
deed naturally  a  strong  turn  to  humour, 
which,  however,  he  was  seldom  inclined 
to  indulge,  and  which  he  kept  within 
very  narrow  bounds. 

About  50  years  ago  he  was  strongly 
suspected  "(we  believe  without  reason) 
of  being  the  author  of  a  series  of  poeti- 
cal Letters,  in  the  style  of  the  Bath 
Guide,  which  severely  ridiculed  the 
foibles,  and  laughed  at  the  amusements 
of  the  civic  noblesse  of  Oxford.  These 
things,  however,  have  long  passed  away, 
and  are  now  forgotten;  and  the  few 
belles  (now  grandmothers),  who  survive, 
perhaps  will  readily  forgive  the  satirist 
(whoever  he  was),  from  whose  verses 


their  best  title  to  earthly  immortality  is 
derived.  Mr.  Grosvenor  was  also  en- 
dowed with  literary  talents,  which  he 
had  but  little  leisure  to  cultivate,  and 
took  no  pains  to  divulge. 

In  1795  he  became,  on  the  death  of 
his  friend  Mr.  William  Jackson,  the 
University  Printer,  who,  40  years  be- 
fore, with  the  assistance  of  Bonneli 
Thornton,  T.  Warton,  and  Colman,  had 
established  the  Oxford  Journal,  the  chief 
proprietor  of  that  publication,  of  which 
he  took  on  himself  the  editorship,  an 
occupation  which  he  easily  performed 
during  his  breakfast  hour  each  morn- 
ing, when  the  London  newspapers  ar- 
rived. In  his  hands  it  continued  to 
be,  though  assailed  by  rival  competi- 
tors, one  of  the  most  widely  circu- 
lated and  profitable  weekly  prints — a 
proof  that  respectability  of  management 
is  a  match  in  general  for  the  attractions 
of  novelty,  and  even  the  boastings  of 
pretension. 

In  his  private  and  professional  cha- 
racter, Mr.  Grosvenor  was  a  bountiful 
benefactor  to  the  poor ;  of  which  no 
stronger  evidence  need  be  given  than 
that  for  forty  years  he  had  his  surgery 
open  from  eight  to  ten  in  the  morning, 
during  which  time  he  not  only  gratui- 
tously administered  his  own  skill  to  all 
who  needed  it ,  but  also  supplied  at  his 
own  expence,  where  wanted,  medicines, 
by  orders  on  the  neighbouring  drug- 
gist's shop. 

He  was  twice  married ;  first,  to  Anne, 

daughter  of Hough,  esq.  of  the  East 

India  Company's  service,  and  widow  of 
John  Parsons,  M.  D.  Clinical  Professor 
and  Anatomical  Reader  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Oxford  ;  and  secondly  to  Char- 
lotte, daughter  of  the  late  Charles  Mar- 
sack,  esq.  of  Caversham  Park,  in  the 
county  of  Oxford.  He  left  no  issue  by 
either  marriage. 

GUNNING,  Sir  George  William, 
bait.  April  7,  in  Saville  Row,  aged 
61.  He  was  the  second  child,  and  the 
first  son  of  Sir  Robert  Gunning,  first 
Baronet,  by  Anne,  daughter  of  Robert 
Sutton,  of  Scofton,  county  of  Lincoln, 
Esq.;  was  born  February  15,  1763; 
succeeded  his  father,  Sept.  22,  1816; 
married  Feb.  10,  1794,  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Sir  Henry  Bridgeman, 
first  Lord  Bradford,  ancestor  to  the 
present  Earl,  and  by  her  (who  died 
May  5,  1810),  had  issue  eight  children, 
seven  sons  and  one  daughter.  He  is 
succeeded  in  his  title  and  estates  by 
his  eldest  son,  Robert  Henry  Gunning, 
Esq. 

F  F  3 


438 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR    1823. 


He  was  not,  according  to  worldly 
phraseology,  a  great  man,  but  infinitely 
superior,  he  was  a  good  one  ;  his  name 
shone  not  on  every  occasion  in  the 
lengthened  list,  the  child  of  ostentation 
as  often  as  of  charity,  but  the  heart  to 
sympathise  with,  and  the  hand  to  suc- 
cour the  unfortunate  were  eminently 
his,  and  few  ever  appealed  either  to  the 
one  or  to  the  other  in  vain. 


H. 

HAIGHTON,  John  Esq.  M.D. 
F.R.S.  March  23.  Dr.  Haighton 
commenced  his  noviciate  in  the  medical 
school  of  Southwark,  and,  after  qualify- 
ing himself,  he  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment of  surgeon  to  the  Guards.  He 
relinquished  this  office,  and  was  ap- 
pointed Demonstrator  of  Anatomy  in 
the  Borough  Medical  School,  and  to 
his  abilities  that  establishment  is  greatly 
indebted  for  the  character  and  reputation 
it  has  maintained  in  the  medical  world. 
While  in  this  situation,  he  cultivated 
the  science  of  experimental  physiology  ; 
and,  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Skeete,  at 
that  time  Lecturer  on  Physiology,  he 
succeeded  him  in  that  department.  A 
few  years  after  he  had  commenced  his 
lectures,  he  became  the  coadjutor  of  the 
late  Dr.  Lowder,  a  celebrated  lecturer 
on  midwifery ;  and,  in  consequence,  this 
science  of  late  years  principally  engaged 
his  attention  :  for  the  last  thirty  years 
he  has  been  considered  the  most  able 
teacher  of  midwifery  in  Europe.  On 
the  death  of  Dr.  Turnbull  he  was  elect- 
ed Physician  to  the  Eastern  Dispen- 
sary :  this  appointment  he  resigned  on 
account  of  the  increase  of  his  private 
practice.  Dr.  Haighton  has  displayed 
his  professional  knowledge  in  several 
valuable  papers  and  communications, 
and  various  literary  productions  of 
merit,  particularly  a  Treatise  on  the  Tic 
Doloureux. 

HARDING,  the    Rev. ,  aged 

44.  Mr.  Harding  was  drowned  whilst 
bathing  in  a  river  near  Nottingham. 
He  had  been  married  only  the  short 
space  of  eight  yreeks,  and  intended  the 
day  on  which  he  was  drowned  to  pur- 
chase furniture  for  a  new  house  that 
was  building  for  him.  Soap  and  towel 
were  found  lying  on  the  bank,  his 
watch  was  in  his  hat,  and  about  101. 
were  found  in  his  pockets.  It  is 
conjectured,  that  about  the  time  he 
was  in  the  agonies  of  death,  the 
workmen  had  just  finished  the  root' 


of  his  house,  and  were  huzzaing  at 
the  completion  of  their  work.  The 
day  following  was  to  have  been  a 
day  of  festivity  on  the  occasion.  He 
was  a  man  of  unassuming  manners, 
great  kindness,  and  the  most  correct 
conduct ;  and  his  memory  will  be  long 
and  deservedly  cherished  by  all  who 
knew  him.  During  the  whole  period 
of  his  residence  in  that  neighbourhood, 
his  chief  delight  was  in  diffusing  and 
promoting  the  glory  and  love  of  God, 
and  in  relieving  the  wants  of  the  poor 
and  indigent. 

HARRISON,  the  Rev.  J.  July  8, 
at  Preston,  of  apoplexy.  Mr.  Har- 
rison was  incumbent  curate  of  Grim- 
saigh,  near  Preston,  and  late  one  of 
the  Masters  of  the  Free  Grammar 
School  at  the  latter  place.  He  was  in- 
stituted to  the  Curacy  of  Grimsaigh  in 
1799,  by  the  Vicar  of  Preston.  This 
gentleman  was  preparing  for  publica- 
tion an  Entymological  Enchyridion, 
great  part  of  which  is  printed  ;  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  transcribing 
part  of  the  copy,  and  that  moment  writ- 
ing the  line  "subpoena,  a  summons," 
the  ink  of  which  was  wet  on  the  paper 
when  he  was  found  a  lifeless  corpse  on 
the  floor,  his  spirit  having  been  sum- 
moned to  the  bar  of  the  Almighty. 

HARROCKS,  John  Mr.  March  3, 
at  his  house,  in  Bold-street,  Liver- 
pool; in  his  73d  year.  His  prospects 
in  early  life  were  not  of  the  most  flatter- 
ing kind ;  but  by  industry,  attention, 
and  frugality,  he  acquired  a  comfortable 
independence.  In  his  transactions  with 
the  world,  his  conduct  was  invariably 
regulated  by  the  strictest  probity  and 
honour ;  and  the  fortune  which  he  so 
laudably  obtained  was  not  consumed  in 
idle  vanity,  or  in  any  species  of  self- 
indulgence,  but  was  rendered  subser- 
vient to  the  most  valuable  of  all  pur- 
poses, the  desire  of  doing  good. 

Though  distinguished  by  a  sound  and 
manly  understanding,  he  was  still  more 
so  for  benevolence  of  heart,  which  was 
manifested  by  the  most  diffusive  cha- 
rity. No  appeal  was  made  to  him  in 
vain  ;  no  distress  was  ever  passed  by 
unpitied  and  unrelieved  ;  his  hand  was 
ever  open  to  succour  and  befriend ;  and 
his  numerous  and  ample  donations  to 
many  of  the  public  institutions  of  his 
native  town,  notwithstanding  his  efforts 
to  conceal  the  giver,  were  well  known 
to,  and  duly  appreciated  by,  the  inha- 
bitants. He  was  by  principle  sincerely 
attached  to  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical 
establishments  of  his  country,  and  sup- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


439 


ported  them  invariably,  strenuously,  and 
zealously. 

As  long  as  honourable  industry  shall 
be  respected  and  genuine  philanthropy 
esteemed,  so  long  will  the  tribute  of  ad- 
miration be  paid  to  such  a  character  as 
that  of  John  Har rocks. 

HARROP,  Mr.  J.  Feb.  22d;  at 
Broughton  Priory,  near  Manchester, 
aged  59.  Mr.  Harrop  was  proprietor  of 
the  Manchester  Mercury  ;  his  conduct 
as  a  public  character,  and  the  proprietor 
of  a  newspaper,  was  distinguished  for 
loyalty  to  the  king,  and  an  unshaken 
attachment  to  the  constitution  as  it  ex- 
ists, and  he  had,  universally,  the  merit  of 
consistency,  and  the  credit  of  political 
integrity. 

HASTINGS,  General  Sir  Charles, 
Bart.  Sept.  30 ;  at  Willesley  Hall,  co. 
Derby,  aged  72.  Sir  Charles  was  Col. 
of  the  12th  Foot.  He  was  a  natural  son 
of  Francis  tenth  Earl  of  Huntingdon, 
who  died  October  2,  1790,  unmarried; 
was  born  March  11,1 752.  June  2, 1 788, 
he  married  Parnell  Abney,  daughter  and 
sole  heiress  of  T.  Abney,  of  Willesley 
Hall,  co.  Derby,  Esq.  who  was  son  of 
Sir  T.  Abney,  Knt.  one  of  the  Justices 
of  the  Common  Pleas ;  by  whom  he  had 
issue,  two  sons  living,  and  one  daughter 
who  died  young. 

On  the  21st  of  July,  1798,  he  was 
promoted  from  the  rank  of  Lieut. -colo- 
nel of  the  61st  Foot,  to  be  Colonel  in 
the  army,  and  the  same  day  further 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major- General 
in  the  arnjy.  On  the  1st  of  October, 
1803,  he  was  appointed  a  Lieut. -general 
in  the  army.  On  the  25th  of  Feb.  1806, 
he  was  created  a  Baronet  of  Willesley 
Hall.  In  1 8 1 3  he  was  appointed  a  Ge- 
neral in  the  army. 

He  was  Lord  of  the  Manors  of  Willes- 
ley and  PackingtoiT.  His  father  be- 
queathed him  landed  property  in  Pack- 
ihgton  and  Ashby  to  the  amount  of 
2000/.  a  year. 

HA  WORTH,  Dr.  Adrian  Hardy, 
formerly  of  Little  Chelsea,  but  late- 
ly of  Cottenham  near  Beverley,  York- 
shire ;  F.  L.  S.  President  of  the  Ety- 
mological Society;  May  2,  at  his 
house  in  Red  Lion  Square.  Dr.  Ha- 
worth  was  the  author  of  some  papers  in 
the  Transactions  of  the  Societies  to  which 
he  belonged,  and  of  the  following  pub- 
lications :  "  Observations  on  the  Genus 
Mesembryanthemum,"  8vo,  1794. — 
' '  Lepidoptera  Britannica,"  8  vo,  1 804.  — 
"Synopsis  Plantarum  succulentarum, 
cum  Descriptionibus,  Synonymis,  Locis, 


Observationibus    Anglicanis,    Cultura- 
que,"  sm.  8vo,  1812. 

HURST,  Mr.  William,  August  9, 
aged  80.  He  had  been  a  famed  pedes- 
trian, having  visited  most  parts  of  Eng- 
land and  Scotland  on  foot ;  nor  did  he 
confine  his  walks  to  his  own  country  only, 
but  visited  many  parts  of  the  Continent, 
such  as  Flanders,  France,  Portugal, 
Gibraltar,  the  island  of  Malta,  &c.  His 
usual  beverage  and  food  when  travelling 
were  tea,  bread  and  butter.  His  walks 
were  long  and  rapid — walking  from 
Margate  to  London,  and  back  in  two 
days,  spending  in  the  journey  only  a  few 
pence.  In  one  of  his  tours  he  was  shut 
in  a  fort,  when  it  was  besieged  by  the 
French  ;  he  continued  there  during  the 
siege,  and  was  taken  prisoner  when 
it  capitulated  ;  but  was  set  at  liberty 
when  the  object  of  his  pursuit  was, 
known. 


I. 


lBBETSON,Mrs.  Agnes,  relict  of  the 
late  Counsellor  Ibbetson,  and  daughter 
of  Andrew  Thompson,  Esq.  of  London; 
in  February,  at  Exrnouth,  in  her  66th 
year.  Possessed  of  a  great  and  rich  va- 
riety of  knowledge,  her  stores  of  thought 
were  enlivened  and  combined  with  an 
energy  of  character,  which  imparted  the 
tone  of  genius  and  .originality  to  her 
commonest  actions  and  conversations. 
Devoted  to  literary  pursuits  with  an  ar- 
dour which  can  be  fully  appreciated  only 
by  the  companions  and  associates  of  her 
friendship,  in  every  object  of  nature  and 
science,  "truth  genuinely  established 
upon  investigation/'  was  her  sole  aim 
and  desire. 

Endowed  with  a  liberal  and  enlarged 
taste  for  literature,  in  the  English, 
French,  and  Italian  languages,  she  de- 
cidedly preferred  the  path  of  natural 
philosophy ;  especially  geology,  mine- 
ralogy, and  astronomy,  in  all  of  which 
she  made  great  progress;  but  her  fa- 
vourite pursuit  beyond  all  others,  and 
wherein  she  has  usefully  and  eminently 
evidenced  the  vigour  of  her  intellect,  was 
botany,  and  especially  the  physiology  of 
pl.-mts.  Here  her  mind  embraced  the 
subject  with  a  powerful  impression  of 
the  wonders  displayed  in  this  most 
amazing  feature  of  the  divine  economy, 
and  under  the  sense  of  its  rich  and  feli- 
citous illustration  of  Nature's  works,  she 
lias  developed  data  connected  with  "  the 
life  of  the  seed,"  «  its  germination," 

FF4 


440 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


and  "  progress  to  maturity  ,rt  not  only 
curious  and  highly  interesting,  but  also 
important  and  useful.  The  application 
of  the  solar  microscope  to  establish  every 
link  of  her  chain  of  facts  and  deductions, 
stamps  her  communications  upon  this 
subject  with  a  peculiar  value. 

The  powerful  tone  of  her  mind,  and 
her  desire  to  appreciate  the  wonders  of 
the  vegetable  tribes,  have  accomplished 
much  in  this  path;  and  it  is  earnestly  to 
be  desired  and  hoped,  that  those  papers 
may  be  given  to  the  public  to  which  she 
had  put  her  last  touches,  after  twenty 
years'  unabated  investigation. 

In  this  her  favorite  pursuit,  she  will 
long  be  known  to  the  world,  as  her  ob- 
servations are  most  honorably  recorded, 
not  only  in  Nicholson's  and  other  sci- 
entific Journals,  but  their  substance  is 
also  transferred  and  copied  into  the 
Edinburgh  and  other  national  Encyclo- 
pedias, and  already  have  received  testi- 
monies of  high  respect  and  appreciation 
from  foreigners  of  distinguished  science. 
These  attainments,  although  bright 
and  Blattering,  are  however  only  for  the 
world  at  large.  To  her  friends  who 
were  favoured  with  her  society  and  es- 
teem, her  memory  will  be  distinguished 
by  a  native  simplicity  of  manner  and 
candour  of  thought,  wliolly  divested  of 
pretension  or  superiority  ;  rendering  her 
talents  sources  of  pleasure,  and  her  pur- 
suits the  medium  of  never  ceasing 
amusement  and  instruction. 

Above  all,  the  exalted  and  unbounded 
nature  of  her  charity  and  zeal  to  soften 
distress  and  pain,  and  to  relieve  the  des- 
titute under  all  circumstances,  stamped 
her  life  with  a  value  beyond  all  that 
science  or  literature  can  bestow ;  and 
combined  to  create  a  soft  and  impres- 
sive habit  and  manner,  which  converted 
esteem  very  quickly  into  friendship,  and 
rendered  friendship,  grounded  on  a 
knowledge  of  her  real  worth,  permanent 
and  indelible. 

ILLINGWORTH,  the  Rev.  Cay- 
ley,  D.  D.  F.  S.  A.  -Archdeacon  of 
Stow,  Rector  of  Scampton  and  of  Ep- 
worth,  Vicar  of  Stainton,  and  one  of  His 
Majesty's  Justices  of  Peace  for  the  parts 
of  Lindsey  ;  August  28th  at  his  house, 
Scampton,  Lincolnshire,  in  his  651  h 
year.  Dr,  Illingworth's  loss  will  be 
long  felt  and  lamented,  not  only  by  his 
family  and  friends,  to  whom  he  was  en- 
deared by  uniform  kindness  of  heart,  a 
generous  temper,  and  a  disposition  pe- 
culiarly social,  but  by  the  country  at 


large,  whose  able  servant  he  had  been 
for  a  period  of  nearly  forty  years. 

In  the  church,  his  manner  was  dig- 
nified, his  elocution  solemn  and  impres- 
sive ;  his  doctrines  were  those  of  the  Li- 
turgy ;  equally  opposed  to  infidel  so- 
phistry and  to  gloomy  fanaticism. 

He  had  a  mind  at  once  capable  of  ju- 
dicial research  and  literary  accomplish- 
ment, The  "  Topographical  Account  of 
Scampton,"  published  in  the  year  1810, 
is  the  only  work  of  taste  which  his  more 
important  engagements  allowed  him  lei- 
sure to  indulge  in.  The  profits  of  it  he 
devoted  to  the  charitable  fund  for  the 
Widows  and  Orphans  of  distressed  Cler- 
gymen. 

As  a  magistrate,  Dr.  Illingworth  was 
indeed  eminent.  To  use  a  homely 
phrase,  he  was  a  thorough  man  of  busi- 
ness. At  his  entrance  into  public  life, 
he  found  himself  imperiously  called  up- 
on by  the  circumstances  of  the  times,  to 
take  a  large  share  in  the  civil  adminis- 
tration of  the  county.  He  at  once  de- 
voted himself  to  its  duties  with  a  vigour 
which  never  relaxed,  indefatigable  pa- 
tience, and  unshrinking  intrepidity,  re- 
gardless of  that  obloquy  which  ever  at- 
tends the  inflexible  exercise  of  justice. 

Such  a  man  is  a  public  treasure,  the 
true  constitutional  bulwark,  both  of  per- 
sonal property  and  of  national  liberty. 


J. 


JORDAN,  Gibbes  Walker,  Esq. 
M.A.  F.R.S.  February  16,  in  Port- 
land-place, in  his  GGth  year.  Mr.  Jor- 
dan was  one  of  the  Benchers  of  the  In- 
ner Temple,  and  Colonial  Agent  for  the 
Island  of  Barbadoes.  In  1804  he  pub- 
lished »  The  Claims  of  the  British  West 
India  Colonists  to  the  Right  of  obtain- 
ing Supplies  from  America,  stated  and 
vindicated,"  8vo^ 


K. 


KEMPE,  John,  Esq.  June  1st;  in 
the  New  Kent  Road  ;  in  his  75th  year. 
Mr.  Kempe  was  for  the  long  period  of 
fifty  years,  Bullion  Porter  to  his  Ma- 
jesty's Mint,  an  office  of  considerable 
trust  and  responsibility  ;  its  duties  con- 
sisted in  taking  charge  of  the  bullion 
received  into  the  Mint  for  coinage,  and 
re-issuing  the  same  to  the  importers 
when  coined.  Many  millions  in  this. 


BIOGRAPHICL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


441 


way,  passed  through  Mr.  Kempe's 
hands.  To  the  fidelity  and  worth  with 
which  he  executed  this  charge,  the  high- 
est testimony  has  been  borne  by  the 
Right  Hon.  Lord  Maryborough,  the 
master  and  worker  of  the  Mint,  in 
his  late  recommendation  of  Mr.  Kempe 
to  the  Treasury,  for  superannuation,  as 
also  by  his  respectable  deputy,  J.  W. 
Morrison,  Esq.  in  a  letter  of  condo- 
lence to  Mr.  Kempe's  son.  As  a  father, 
a  friend,  and  a  truly  honest  man,  Mr. 
Kempe  has  left  a  chasm  in  the  circle  of 
his  family,  his  connexions,  and  his  neigh- 
bours, which  can  never  be  supplied. 

The  office  of  Bullion  Porter  to  his 
Majesty's  Mint  was  previously  held  by 
Mr.  Kempe's  father  Nicholas,  who  ob- 
tained it  of  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  by 
whom  he  was  patronized.  He  enjoyed 
also  the  particular  favour  of  William 
Duke  of  Cumberland,  the  victor  of  Cul- 
loden,  in  whose  yacht  he  had  made  se- 
veral voyages  in  a  civil  capacity,  and 
attracted  the  notice  of  the  Duke.  Mr. 
Nicholas  Kempe  was  twice  married ; 
first  to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Mr. 
James  Humphreys  of  Deptford  in  Kent, 
who,  in  the  industrious  exercise  of  an 
honest^  occupation,  acquired  a  small 
freehold  property,  which  descended 
through  his  daughter  to  the  Kempes. 
This  was  the  mother  of  the  late  Mr.  John 
"Kempe,  who  was  born  at  Deptford  on 
the  14th  of  April  1748.  By  his  second 
marriage,  Mr.  Nicholas  Kempe  became 
united  to  the  wealthy  and  beautiful  co- 
heiress of  the  Meriton  family.*  The 
charms  of  this  lady  have  been  faithfully 
recorded  by  the  lively  pencil  of  Rom- 
ney,  who  pronounced  her  the  greatest 
beauty  of  her  day.  —  Possessed  of  a 
considerable  fortune,  Mr.  Nicholas 
Kempe  resided  for  many  years  at  his 
house  in  Ranelagh-walk  Chelsea,  a  place 
in  those  days  considered  as  a  retreat  from 
the  bustle  of  the  metropolis.  There,  in 
conjunction  with  Sir  Thomas  Robinson, 
he  became  one  of  the  original  proprie- 
tors of  Ranelagh  Gardens,  which  were 
contiguous  to  the  grounds  of  Mr. 
Kempe's  mansion,  f 

Mr.  John  Kempe  for  some  years  re- 
sided at  the  house  of  his  father,  who 
lived  according  to  the  true  style  of  old 

*  Meriton,  or  "  de  Merton"  an  Ox- 
fordshire family,  whose  name  frequently 
occurs  in  the  antient  deeds  inserted  in 
Ken  net's  Paroch  Antiq. 

•|-  The  house  lately  occupied  by  Ge- 
neral Wilford  in  Ranelagh  Park. 


English  hospitality  ;  his  villa,  his  equip- 
age, and  his  grounds  were  at  all  times 
at  the  service  of  his  friends,  and  many 
eminent  persons  of  the  day  were  the  fre- 
quent guests  of  his  table.  Among  these 
were  Romney  the  portrait  painter,  and 
Stubbs  the  animal  painter,  Dixon  the 
celebrated  mezzotinto  engraver,  Mrr  N. 
Kempe's  sister  the  lovely  lady  Hajner, 
Sir  Thomas  Robinson,  the  unhappy 
poet  Smart,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Inkson. 
This  last-named  gentleman  was  certain- 
ly acquainted  with  the  author  of  Junius's 
letters,  whoever  he  might  be,  for  it  was 
often  mentioned  by  Mr.  John  Kempe, 
as  among  his  early  reminiscences,  that 
he  heard  Mr.  Inkson  predict  at  his  fa- 
ther's table,  some  time  before  their  pub- 
lication, both  the  nature  and  appearance 
of  those  extraordinary  writings.  Of 
Smart  the  poet,  he  also  told  many  in- 
teresting anecdotes.  "  Smart  loved  (he 
would  say)  to  hear  me  play  upon  my 
flute,  and  I  have  often  soothed  the  wan- 
derings of  his  melancholy  by  some  fa- 
vourite air  ;  he  would  shed  tears  when  I 
played,  and  generally  wrote  some  lines 
afterwards."  Mr.  Kempe  had  indeed 
a  great  natural  talent  for  music,  he  drew 
the  sweetest  tones  from  his  flute,  could 
play  almost  any  air  by  ear,  and  was  so 
sensibly  alive  to  the  charms  of  harmony, 
that  the  tvblime  compositions  of  Handel 
or  Mozart  produced  on  him  an  effect,  at 
times,  ultogether  over-powering.  He 
way  endowed  with  a  solid  understand- 
ing, and  considerable  natural  talents  for 
the  fine  arts.  These  he  developed  in  the 
copies  which  he  obtained  leave  to  make 
from  Hodges's  paintings  deposited  at 
the  Admiralty,  being  views  of  various 
countries  discovered  in  the  voyages  of 
Furneaux,  Byron,  and  Cooke,  in  which 
as  a  lieutenant,  Mr.  Kempe's  relative, 
the  late  admiral,  had  been  a  participa- 
tor. In  early  life  he  both  modelled  and 
carved  animals,  fruit,  and  flowers,  with 
elegance  and  taste  ;  and  not  having  been 
brought  up  by  his  father  to  any  profes- 
sion, pursued  for  some  time  that  of 
sculpture  as  a  laudable  addition  to  his 
worldly  means.  The  carvings  on  the 
fine  organ  at  the  Church  of  Wrexham, 
built  by  the  celebrated  Green,  were  of 
his  hand,  and  several  others  of  the  same 
maker  were  also  decorated  by  him. 
Mr.  Green,  as  a  mark  of  his  regard,  pre- 
sented him  with  the  identical  spinet 
which  stood  in  Handel's  bed-chamber  ; 
for  that  "  mighty  master"  of  harmony 
would  often  rise  in  the  middle  of  the 
night  to  touch  on  the  instrument  the 


442 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


sublime  compositions  which  vibrated  in 
his  imagination. 

Unfortunately  for  Mr.  Kempe,  his 
father,  who  had  married  again  at  an 
advanced  period  of  life,  left  at  his  de- 
mise the  greater  part  of  his  large  pro- 
perty at  the  disposal  of  his  young  and 
beautiful  widow,  who  soon  after  gave 
her  hand  to  Mr.  Dixon  the  engraver, 
before  mentioned,  a  tenant  of  one  of  the 
houses  at  Chelsea  which  bear  the  family 
name.  Thus  but  a  small  proportion  of 
his  expected  inheritance  came  to  the 
share  of  Mr.  John  Kempe.  Though 
naturally  disappointed  of  his  just  expect- 
ations, with  that  submission  of  mind 
which  formed  a  principal  feature  of  his 
character,  he  received  with  thankfulness 
and  content  his  mediocrity  of  fortune. 
In  the  year  1781,  he  married  Miss  Anne 
Arrow,  daughter  of  Mr.  James  Arrow 
of  Westminister,  a  union  permitted  by 
Providence  to  continue  42  years ;  and 
he  found  in  the  dear  partner  of  his  af- 
fections an  exemplary  mother  to  his 
children,  and  a  faithful  friend,  who 
supported  the  severest  trials  of  life  with 
a  vigour  of  conduct  and  of  mind,  un- 
broken by  the  pressure  of  age,  anxiety, 
or  calamity. 

Two  of  Mr.  Kempe's  children  died 
in  infancy.  His  eldest  son,  Alfred  John, 
still  survives.  His  daughter,  Anna- 
Eliza,  was  married  in  1818  to  that  emi- 
nent antiquary,  artist,  and  excellent 
young  man,  Mr.  C.  Stothard,  the  dread- 
ful manner  of  whose  death  gave  a  severe 
shock  to  the  declining  health  of  her  pa- 
rent, who  sheltered  with  the  fondest 
affection  a  widowed  daughter  and  her 
infant  child.  The  name  of  Mrs.  C. 
Stothard  was  already  known  to  the  pub- 
lic, by  her  "  Letters  on  Normandy  and 
Brittany ;"  her  sufferings  have  been 
narrated  in  the  Memoirs  of  her  hus- 
band's life,  which  she  has  since  pub- 
lished. But  a  few  months  previous  to 
lu's  death,  Mr.  Kempe  had  the  consola-- 
tion  of  seeing  his  daughter  united  to  the 
Rev.  E.  A.  Bray,  M.  A.  Vicar  of  Ta- 
vistock,  Devon,  a  gentleman  who  ex- 
changed the  labours  of  the  bar  for  more 
peaceful  and  congenial  studies  ;  known 
to  the  literary  world  as  the  adapter  of 
the  excellent  and  orthodox  sermons  of 
our  old  divines  to  a  more  modern  and 
popular  style,  also  by  some  elegant  lyric 
effusions. 

In  his  public  capacity,  Mr.  Kempe, 
it  has  been  observed,  was  remarkable 
for  the  assiduous,  honest,  and  faithful 
discharge  of  his  duties.  In  private  life 


he  was  a  most  worthy  and  affectionate 
husband  and  father,  a  sincere  and  kind 
friend.  The  tenor  of  his  life  exhibited 
the  sincerity  of  his  faith  as  a  Christian  ; 
so  entirely  submissive  was  he  to  the  will 
of  his  Creator,  that  to  trust  in  God,  to 
believe  him  "  all-sufficient,"  were  words 
which  he  uttered  at  all  times-  of  trial  and 
affliction.  He  was  a  man  of  such  sin- 
gular honesty  and  simplicity  of  heart, 
that,  judging  the  world  by  the  inmate 
of  his  own  bosom,  he  may  truly  be  said 
to  have  "  thought  men  honest  who  but 
seemed  to  be  so."  Generous  and  hos- 
pitable to  his  friends,  long,  very  long, 
will  his  memory  be  held  in  dear  estima- 
tion by  a  numerous  circle  who  expe- 
rienced the  liberal  warmth  and  kindness 
of  his  disposition.  This  is  a  prouder 
boast  than  all  the  quarterings  of  the 
herald ;  yet  it  may  be  observed,  that  he 
was  descended  from  a  very  ancient  fa- 
mily, whose  Saxon  appellation  CGCDPX, 
which  literally  signifies  a  soldier,  and 
whose  arms,  3  wheat-sheaves  in  a  field 
gules,  surrounded  by  a  bordure  or,  de- 
note perhaps  the  harvest  of  some  well- 
foirght  field.  The  pedigree  of  the 
Kempes  is  remarkable  for  its  alliances 
with  the  descendants  of  Geoffrey  Plan- 
tagenet  and  Hugh  Courtenay,  Earl 
of  Devon ;  and  among  its  honourable 
ornaments,  it  reckons  the  celebrated 
John  Kempe,  Cardinal  and  Archbi- 
shop of  Canterbury,  in  the  time  of 
Henry  VI. 

Mr.  Kempe,  but  a  few  hours  pre- 
vious to  his  death,  adverted  with  pious 
confidence  to  the  motto  of  his  family 
arms,  "  They  who  sow  in  tears  shall 
reap  in  joy."  May  the  survivors  fully 
experience  the  comfort  it  holds  out ! 

His  remains  were  deposited  in  Brom- 
ley church-yard,  Kent,  in  the  same 
grave  with  those  of  his  infant  grand- 
daughter Blanch,  posthumous  child  of 
Charles  Alfred  Stothard.  They  were 
attended  by  his  afflicted  and  affectionate 
widow,  his  son,  daughter-in-law,  and 
elder  grandson.  Although  spared  to 
his  family  beyond  the  usual  time  allotted 
to  man,  to  them  such  a  loss  can  alone 
be  alleviated  by  the  hopes  of  Christianity, 
and  by  the  love  and  honour  which  em- 
balm the  name  of  the  righteous  even  in 
this  perishable  world. 

KEY,  William  Cade,  Esq.  of  Hamp- 
stead  ; — Oct.  14th,  at  Bath,  in  the  arms 
of  his  family  ;  aged  49.  Mr.  Key  was 
third  son  of  the  late  Jonathan  Key, 
esq.  and  one  of  the  respectable  firm  of 
Messrs.  Keys,  eminent  Wholesale  Sta- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


443 


tioners  in  Abchurch-lane,  the  successors 
to  Aldermen  Wright  and  Gill. 

Mr.  Key  had  for  some  time  stood 
foremost  in  the  list  of  gentlemen  in 
nomination  as  fit  and  able  persons  to 
serve  the  office  of  one  of  the  sheriffs  of 
London  ;  an  honour  which  an  infirm 
state  of  health  alone  prevented  his  ac- 
cepting. The  same  cause  operated  on 
a  vacancy  in  the  court  of  aldermen, 
occasioned  lately  in  Langbourn  Ward 
by  the  death  of  Sir  John  Earner,  when 
his  nephew,  John  Key,  esq.  was  elected 
by  his  neighbours  to  that  honourable 
situation. 

In  1819,  Mr.  Key  married  the  eldest 
daughter  of  the  late  Richard  Down,  esq. 
banker,  of  Bartholomew  lane,  by  whom 
he  had  one  son  and  one  daughter,  who 
have  now  to  mourn  the  loss  of  a  most 
affectionate  husband  and  father.  Mr. 
Key's  uniform  good  temper  and  plea- 
santness of  manners  had  secured  him 
the  esteem  of  a  very  large  "circle  of 
friends,  by  whom  his  death  will  be 
deeply  lamented.  He  was  buried  on 
the  22d,  in  the  family  vault  at  Hamp- 
stead. 


LAMBERT,  the  Rev.  James,  Se- 
nior Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Cam- 
bridge, April  8,  at  Fersfield  Parsonage 
House,  Norfolk.  He  was  the  son  of 
Rev.  Thomas  and  Anne  Lambert,  the 
father  being  at  the  time  of  his  birth 
Vicar  of  Thorp,  near  Harwich,  and  af- 
terwards Rector  of  Melton,  near  Wood- 
bridge,  in  Suffolk.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Zodiac  Club,  at  Cambridge,  con- 
sisting of  the  most  eminent  literary 
characters  of  that  day,  and  was  not  less 
remarkable  for  his  literary  attainments 
than  for  the  polished  urbanity  of  his 
manners.  His  son  James,  born  the  7th 
March,  1741,  O.  S.  received  the  rudi- 
ments of  his  education  at  the  Grammar- 
school  at  Woodbridge,  under  Mr.  Ray, 
till  about  the  fifteenth  year  of  his  age, 
when  his  father  superintended  it  till  he 
was  admitted  in  1760  to  College.  In 
1763  he  became  a  scholar  on  the  founda- 
tion. Inl764  he  obtained  the  Chancellor's 
Gold  Medal  for  classical  attainments, 
taking  his  first  degree  of  B.  A.  the  same 
•year,  when  he  was  fifth  or  sixth  on  the 
first  Tripos,  or  what  is  generally  called 
fifth  or  sixth  Wrangler.  In  1765  he 
was  elected  Fellow  of  Trinity  College, 
and  about  that  time  was  ordained.  He 


became  officiating  curate  at  Alderton 
and  Bawdsey,  near  Woodbridge.  In 
1767  he  took  his  degree  of  M.  A.  and 
became  a  resident  and  assistant  tutor 
in  Trinity  College.  In  1771  he  was 
elected  Greek  Professor.  About  this 
time  the  great  question  was  agitating  for 
the  relief  of  the  clergy  in  the  matter  of 
subscription  to  the  39  articles,  which 
was  greatly  supported  by  many  of  the 
most  distinguished  members  of  the 
university,  among  whom  Mr.  Lambert 
was  by  no  means  the  least  active.  In 
1772  he  received  a  proposal  to  accom- 
pany Prince  Poniatowsky  to  Poland, 
which  he  declined.  In  1773  he  formed 
the  resolution  not  to  accept  any  clerical 
preferment,  in  which  he  persisted  to  his 
death,  having  repeatedly  passed  by  the 
best  livings  in  the  gift  of  the  college, 
which  in  succession  were  offered  to 
him.  In  1774  the  University  was  much 
occupied  with  the  resolutions  then  pro- 
posed by  Mr.  Jebb  for  annual  examina- 
tions, of  which  Mr.  Lambert  was  a  stre- 
nuous supporter,  and  was  named  one  of 
the  syndicate  or  committee  to  establish 
a  plan  of  uniting  polite  literature  with 
the  mathematical  and  philosophical 
studies  of  the  place.  In  this  attempt 
he  had,  among  other  eminent  men,  for 
his  intended  colleagues,  Dr.  Watson, 
afterwards  Bishop  of  Landaff  j  Hey, 
afterwards  Norrisian  Professor  of  Di- 
vinity, and  author  of  Lectures  on  the 
39  articles  ;  Dr.  Farmer,  well  known 
among  Shakspeare's  critics  and  book 
collectors  ;  Paley,  Tyrrwhitt,  the  well- 
known  Unitarian,  who  showed  his  zeal 
for  the  university  by  leaving  at  his 
death  4000/.  for  the  encouragement  of 
Hebrew  Literature ;  and  Pearce,  after- 
wards Master  of  Jesus  College,  and 
Dean  of  Ely.  His  colleagues  were  not, 
however,  all  agreed  in  the  approbation 
of  the  plan,  for  we  find  by  Dr.  Jebb's 
account  of  the  proceedings  of  those 
times,  that  Dr.  Halifax  and  Dr.  Farmer 
"  did  all  in  their  power  to  obstruct 
their  brethren,"  Farmer  declaring  that 
the  proposed  grace  "  would  be  the 
ruin  of  the  university,  and  shake  the 
foundations  of  the  constitution  in 
church  and  state."  In  consequence 
of  the  appointment  of  the  Syndicate, 
nineteen  resolutions  were  proposed, 
which  were  all  rejected,  there  being  for 
the  first  six — Ayes  43— Noes  47. — For 
the  next  five,  Ayes  41 — Noes  48. — For 
the  next  eight,  Ayes  38 — Noes  49. 

Some  other  attempts  were  made,  but 
equally  failed,  and  no  alteration  took 


444 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


place  till  the  year  1 780,  when  another 
day  was  added  for  examination,  and 
more  stress  was  laid  upon  national 
law  and  moral  philosophy,  particularly 
on  Locke  on  the  Human  Understand- 
ing. In  1775  Mr.  Lambert  quitted  the 
assistant  tutorship,  and  in  1777  left 
college  to  superintend  the  education  of 
Sir  John  Fleming  Leicester,  bart,  and 
his  brothers,  residing  with  them  at  Lady 
Leicester's,  partly  in  London,  and  part- 
ly at  Tabley,  in  Cheshire.  In  1780  he 
resigned  the  Greek  professorship,  and 
in  1782  he  returned  to  college  with 
Sir  John  Leicester.  His  connection 
with  the  Leicester  family  continued  till 
1787,  when  the  two  younger  brothers, 
Henry  and  Charles,  took  their  bache- 
lor's degree ;  from  which  time  he  resided 
principally  in  college,  making  occa- 
sional excursions  on  visits  to  his  numer- 
ous friends  in  different  parts  'of  the 
island.  In  1789  he  was  appointed  Bur- 
sar of  the  College,  which  he  held  for 
10  years  ;  from  this  time,  to  nearly  the 
end  of  his  life,  he  was  punctual  in  his 
attendance  at  the  annual  examinations, 
as  also  at  the  examinations  for  scholar- 
ships and  fellowships. 

Mr.  Lambert,  though  well  versed  in 
the  severer  studies  of  the  university, 
paid  more  attention  to  polite  literature 
and  theology.  To  the  latter  subject 
his  conscientious  scruples  necessarily 
made  him  devote  much  of  his  time  ;  and 
it  was  not  till  after  a  thorough  examin- 
ation of  the  Scriptures,  that  he  gave  up 
the  doctrines  of  Athanasius,  and  adopted 
in  their  stead  the  precepts  of  our  Sa- 
viour, according  to  the  true  principles 
of  Protestants,  that  from  the  Bible,  and 
from  the  Bible  only,  their  religion  is 
established  ;  and  though  he  sacrificed 
much  to  his  conscience,  the  consequent 
losses  did  not  ex  cite  a  moment's  regret, 
and  no  one  seems  to  have  followed  bet- 
ter the  apostolical  precept,  "  Rejoice 
evermore." 

Natural  history,  in  every  branch,  was 
among  his  favourite,  pursuits. 
.  The  elegant  and  moral  turn  of  his 
mind  is  well  known  to  those  friends  to 
whom  on  various  occasions  he  commu- 
nicated those  poetical  effusions  which 
never  failed  to  unite  instruction  with 
amusement.  He  particularly  endeared 
himself  to  the  young,  who  never  lost 
their  regard  for  him  in  after  age. 

His  cheerfulness  did  not  forsake  him 
to  the  last,  and  after  a  well-spent  life, 
he  left  this  world  with  the  utmost  resig- 
nation to  the  Divine  Will,  and  the  Chris- 


tian hope  that  he  should  in  a  future  life 
he  admitted  to  participate  in  the  glories 
of  his  Saviour. 

Though  he  outlived  many  of  his 
friends,  sufficient  are  still  left  to  cherish 
his  memory,  with  the  recollection  of  his 
virtues,  that  integrity  of  character, 
amiable  disposition,  and  highly -gifted 
mind,  for  which  he  was  so  eminently 
distinguished. 

He  departed  this  life  at  the  house  of 
his  much-valued  friend  and  relative, 
Mr.  Carter,  at  Fersfield,  and  was  buried 
agreably  to  his  wish,  in  the  parish 
church  of  that  village. 

LAMBTON,  Lieutenant.  Colonel 
William,  Superintendant  of  the  Grand 
Trigonometrical  Survey  in  India ;  Jan. 
20,  at  Kingin  Ghaut,  fifty  miles  south 
of  Nagpoor,  while  proceeding  in  the 
execution  of  his  duty  from  Hydrabad 
towards  Nagpoor. 

The  Annals  of  the  Royal  and  Asiatic 
Society  bear  ample  testimony  to  the 
extent  and  importance  of  the  labours 
of  Colonel  Lambton,  in  his  measure- 
ment of  an  arc  of  the  meridian  in 
India,  extending  from  Cape  Comorin, 
in  lat.  8°  23'  10"  to  a  new  base  line, 
measured  in  lat.  21°  6'  near  the  village 
of  Takoorkera,  15  miles  S.E.  from  the 
city  of  Ellichpore,  a  distance  exceeding 
that  measured  by  the  English  and 
French  geometers,  between  the  paral- 
lels of  Greenwich  and  Tormentara  in 
the  Island  of  Minorca. 

It  was  the  intention  of  Colonel 
Lambton  to  extend  the  arc  to  Agra,  in 
which  case  the  meridian  line  would 
have  passed  at  short  distances  from 
Bhopaul,  Serange,  Nurwur,  Gualiar 
and  Dholpore.  At  his  advanced  age, 
he  despaired  of  health  and  strength 
remaining  for  further  exertion  ;  other- 
wise it  cannot  be  doubted  that  it  would 
have  been  a  grand  object  of  his  am- 
bition to  have  prolonged  it  through  the 
Dooab,  and  across  the  Himalays,  to 
the  32d  degree  of  north  latitude.  If 
this  vast  undertaking  had  been  achieved, 
and  that  it  may  yet  be  completed  js  not 
improbable,  British  India  will  have  to 
boast  of  a  niuch  larger  unbroken  meri- 
dian line  than  has  been  before  measured 
on  the  surface  of  the  globe. 

Though  the  measurement  of  the  arc 
of  the  meridian  was  the  principal  object 
of  the  labours  of  Colonel  Lambton,  he 
extended  his  operations  to  the  east  and 
west,  and  the  set  of  triangles  covers 
great  part  of  the  peninsula  of  India, 
defining  with  the  utmost  precision  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


44-5 


situation  of  a  very  great  number  of 
principal  places  in  latitude,  longitude 
and  elevation  ;  and  affording  a  sure 
basis  for  an  amended  Geographical 
Map,  which  is  now  under  preparation. 
The  triangulatioii  also  connects  the 
Coromandel  and  Malabar  coasts  in  nu- 
merous important  points,  thus  supply- 
ing the  best  means  of  truly  laying 
down  the  shape  of  those  coasts,  and 
rendering  an  essential  service  to  navi- 
gation. 

It  was  the  colonel's  intention  himself 
to  carry  the  meridian  line  as  far  north 
as  Agra,  and  he  detached  his  first 
assistant,  Captain  Everest,  of  the  Ben- 
gal artillery,  to  extend  a  series  of 
triangles  westward  to  Bombay,  and 
when  that  service  should  be  completed, 
eastward  to  Point  Palmyras,  and  pro- 
bably Fort  William,  by  which  extensive 
and  arduous  operation  the  three  Presi- 
dencies of  India  would  be  connected, 
and  several  obvious  advantages  gained 
to  geography  and  navigation.  But  it 
is  in  the  volumes  of  the  proceedings  of 
various  learned  societies,  that  the,  ac- 
counts of  the  labours  of  this  veteran 
philosopher,  whose  loss  we  lament, 
must  be  looked  for,  and  who,  for  22 
years,  carried  on  his  operations  in  an 
ungenial  climate  with  unabated  zeal 
and  perseverance,  and  died  full  of 
years,  and  conscious  of  a  well-deserved 
reputation. 

LEDWICH,  the  Rev.  Edward, 
L.L.D.  F.S.A.  of  London  and  Scot- 
land, and  member  of  most  of  the 
distinguished  literary  societies  of 
Europe ;  August  8th,  at  his  house  in 
York -street,  Dublin,  in  his  84th  year. 
Mr.  Ledwich  was  a  learned  and  in- 
dustrious antiquary  and  topographer. 
He  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  fellow 
of  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  Vicar  of 
Aghaboe  in  Queen's  County,  Secre- 
tary to  the  Committee  of  Antiquaries 
of  the  Royal  Irish  Academy  ;  and 
formerly  a  resident  at  Old  Glas  Dur- 
row.  In  1789,  Mr.  Gough  acknow- 
ledged his  obligations  to  Mr.  Ledwich 
and  other  curious  gentlemen  of  Ireland, 
"  for  an  excellent  comprehensive  View 
of  the  Government  of  that  kingdom, 
from  the  earliest  times  to  the  latest 
Revolution  in  it,"  inserted  in  his  most 
valuable  edition  of  Camden's  Britannia. 

In  1790,  this  learned  and  elegant 
antiquary  published  a  most  valuable 
volume,  entitled  "  Antiquities  of  Ire- 
land," which  came  out  in  numbers, 
containing  a  large  collection  of  enter- 


taining and  instructive  essays  on  the 
remoter  antiquities  of  that  island.  He 
opened  his  work  with  establishing  the 
Scandinavian  origin  of  the  Irish,  herein 
differing  from  their  vulgar  national 
tales  concerning  Noah's  grand-daugh- 
ters Partholanus  and  Milesius,  but 
grounding  what  he  advanced  on  the 
succession  of  writers  from  Camden  to 
Warton.  For  having  called  in  question 
the  legendary  history  of  St.  Patrick, 
which  he  invalidated  as  a  fiction  in- 
vented long  after  the  time  when  he  is 
said  to  have  lived,  besides  critically 
examining  the  several  works  ascribed 
to  him,  and  other  tales  of  the  dark 
ages,  he  was  attacked  by  some  anti- 
quaries of  the  Roman  Catholic  persua- 
sion, who  allowed  their  bigoted  attach- 
ment to  their  religion  to  supersede 
what  had  been  obtained  by  indefatigable 
research. 

When  the  late  celebrated  Captain 
Grose  went  to  Dublin  for  the  purpose 
of  completing  his  noble  design,  "  to 
illustrate  the  antiquities  of  England, 
Wales,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,"  he 
formed  an  acquaintance  with  this 
gentleman,  urged  by  the  above-men- 
tioned excellent  specimen  of  his  con- 
sanguinity in  authorship.  Upon  his 
death,  which  shortly  followed,  Mr. 
Ledwich,  at  the  request  of  the  .pub- 
lisher, became  the  editor  of  "  The 
Antiquities  of  Ireland,"  in  two  vols. 
4to.  ;rand  with  great  liberality,  and  the 
utmost  success,  engaged  in  the  laudable 
design  of  completing  what  his  prede- 
cessor had  begun,  but  did  not  live  to 
carry  on  to  any  considerable  extent. 
The  first  volume  of  this  valuable  work 
came  out  in  1794,  and  the  second  in 
1796. 

In  the  same  year,  as  the  second 
volume  of  the  above  national  work  was 
published,  he  produced  a  judicious,  in- 
forming, and  interesting  work,  in  imi- 
tation of  the  scotch  clergy,  who,  under 
the  encouragement  of  Sir  John  Sinclair, 
conducted  their  statistical  enquiries  with 
such  success  in  their  own  country.  It 
was  entitled,  ' '  A  Satistical  Account  of 
the  Parish  of  Aghaboe,  in  the  Queen's 
County,"  1796,  8vo. 

Besides  the  above  works,  he  contri- 
buted to  the  volumes  of  the  Archaeolo- 
gia,  a  "  Dissertation  on  the  Religion  of 
the  Druids,"  in  vol.  vii.  p.  303,  and 
"  Observations  on  our  own  Antient 
Churches,"  vol.  viii.  p.  165. 

Mr.  Ledwich  was  a  member  of  a 
little  society  for  investigating  the  anlu 


446 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


quities  of  Ireland,  at  the  head  of  which 
was  the  Right  Hon.  Wm.  B.  Conyng- 
ham,  Teller  of  the  Exchequer  at  Dub- 
lin ;  but  which  was  dissolved,  it  is  said, 
in  consequence  of  the  free  pleasantry 
with  whieh  Mr.  Ledwich  treated  certain 
reveries  circulated  among  them  ;  and 
occasionally  alluded  to  in  his  Antiqui- 
ties of  Ireland. 

LETCH  WORTH,  Mr.  of  Kates- 
grove,  Reading  ;  July  25,  of  apoplexy. 
In  his  public  principles  he  shewed  him- 
self the  steady  and  consistent  assertor  of 
liberty,  civil  and  religious.  There  is 
hardly  a  public  institution  in  that  town, 
which  has  for  its  object  either  the  moral 
improvement,  or  the  innocent  amuse- 
ment of  its  inhabitants,  whicli  did  not 
find  in  him  at  once  the  enlightened 
advocate,  and  the  liberal  contributor. 

LEWIS,  William,  Esq.  F.L.S., 
February  7  ;  at  his  house,  at  Hendon. 
Mr.  Lewis  was  a  native  of  Jamaica  ; 
but,  sent  to  England  at  an  early  age, 
he  received  the  rudiments  of  his  edu- 
cation at  Hadley,  under  the  father  of 
the  present  Baron  Garrow ;  and  was 
afterwards  transferred  to  the^counting- 
house  of  his  own  guardian,  Mr.  Wm. 
Bond,  of  Walbrook,  an  eminent  West 
India  merchant,  where  he  acquired 
those  habits  of  business,  and  that  quick- 
ness at  accounts,  which  distinguished 
him  through  life,  till  nearly  the  close  of 
it.  Mr.  Lewis  was  confidentially  con- 
cerned in  the  payment  of  the  principal 
prizes  captured  by  Lord  Keppel  ;  and 
accordingly  took  an  essential  part  in 
rescuing  his  Lordship's  character  from 
the  charges  brought  against  it.  His 
views,  however,  failing  in  a  connexion 
with  his  guardian,  he  disengaged  him- 
self from  his  original  pursuits,  and 
embarked  his  capital  in  a  rectifying 
distillery,  where,  a  victim  to  the  odious 
oppression  of  the  Excise  Laws,  he  soon 
associated  himself  with  certain  others, 
who,  in  conjunction  with  the  malt  dis- 
tillers, attempted  by  communications 
with  the  Government,  and  close  attend- 
ance on  the  Parliament,  to  mitigate  the 
rigour  of  a  system,  that,  combined  with 
other  circumstances,  determined  him,  in 
the  end,  on  quitting  trade. 

Through  his  exertions  on  these  oc- 
casions, as  they  occurred  from  time  to 
time,  as  well  as  from  the  high  opinion 
entertained  of  his  skill  and  knowledge 
in  the  nicer  operations  of  a  scientific 
business,  Mr.  Lewis  was  generally 
looked  up  to  by  its  principal  members, 
as  a  leading  organ  to  advise  with  ;  and 


in  that  capacity  fulfilled  the  office  of 
Honorary  Secretary  to  the  Society  of 
Rectifying  Distillers,  for  a  great  num- 
ber of  years. 

Mr.  Lewis  had  studied  chemistry, 
under  his  friend  Dr.  Higgins  ;  to 
whose  early  researches,  and  sagacious 
conjectures,  as  appears  by  a  copious 
detail  of  them  preserved  by  Mr.  Lewis, 
he  ascribed  more  merit,  than  to  the 
positive  discoveries  of  subsequent  times ; 
and  from  being  also  an  adept  in  the 
mechanical  application  of  philosophical 
apparatus,  to  denote  and  ascertain  the 
various  processes  of  distillation,  Mr. 
Lewis,  when  a  new  hydrometer  was 
proposed  for  the  Excise,  took  a  warm 
interest  in  the  question  ;  and  exhibited 
many  curious  experiments,  to  prove  the 
superiority  of  Quin's  instrument,  before 
the  late  Mr.  Cavendish,  and  other  mem- 
bers of  the  Royal  Society,  who  met  on 
the  occasion  at  Messrs.  Christian  and 
Lewis's  distillery. 

Mr.  Lewis,  strongly  attached  to  the 
politics  of  Mr.  Fox,  was  known  to  be 
opposed  to  the  measures  of  Mr.  Pitt ; 
and  it  was,  therefore,  not  a  little  sur- 
prising that  he  should  be  chosen,  but 
perhaps  more  extraordinary  that  he 
should  undertake  to  give  effect  to  one 
of  the  most  unpopular  proceedings  of 
that  minister.  When  the  Income  Tax 
was  introduced,  Mr.  Lewis  was  re- 
turned, with  the  late  Sir  Nathaniel 
Conant,  by  the  county  of  Middlesex, 
to  sit  as  a  Commercial  Commissioner 
for  the  city  of  London  and  its  vicinity, 
with  a  select  number  of  the  aldermen,  a 
portion  of  the  Bank  and  East  India 
directors,  and  a  few  other  public  cha- 
racters, in  representation  of  the  chief 
bodies ;  and  when  the  nature  of  this 
arduous,  responsible,  and  confidential 
appointment  is  considered,  it  is  no 
small  credit  to  the  memory  of  any  indi- 
ridual  engaged  in  it,  particularly  one  of 
anti-ministerial  politics,  that  he  should 
have  performed  the  laborious  duties  of 
the  office  for  three  years,  while  the  act 
continued,  without  fee  or  reward,  on 
principles  of  pure  public  service. 

Mr.  Lewis  was,  for  many  years,  in 
the  commission  of  the  peace,  and  at- 
tended regularly  at  the  Middlesex 
Sessions  ;  but  an  infirmity  of  hearing, 
which  grew  upon  him  of  late,  preclud- 
ing his  interference  in  the  judicial 
functions  of  the  bench,  he  confined 
himself  principally  to  those  pertaining 
to  the  management  and  discipline  of 
the  House  of  Correction  ;  and  espcci- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823- 


447 


ally  to  the  regulation  of  the  New  Prison 
in  Clerkenwell,  which  was  re-erected 
under  his  immediate  inspection,  aided 
by  the  professional  judgment  of  his 
equally  zealous  associate  in  the  task, 
Mr.  Saunders,  the  architect.  Mr. 
Lewis  was  actively  engaged  in  other 
commissions  of  the  Crown  ;  was  a 
director  of  different  public  offices  ; 
and  a  member  of  many  learned  and 
scientific  societies. 

When  the  Linnsean  Society  was  in- 
corporated, he  was  one  of  the  fifteen 
original  fellows  included  in  the  charter, 
and  empowered  to  appoint  the  others  ; 
and  amongst  a  large  circle  of  philoso- 
phical acquaintance,  comprising  the 
most  distinguished  characters  of  the  day, 
Mr.  Lewis  was  universally  esteemed, 
as  a  man  of  .very  superior  attainments, 
in  almost  every  branch  of  science. 

On  leaving  business,  many  years 
before  his  death,  he  devoted  hirnself  to 
the  seclusion  of  his  garden,  in  which  he 
chiefly  delighted,  as  affording  him  the 
means  of  prosecuting  his  favourite  study 
of  botany;  and,  of  remarkably  accuracy 
in  his  observations,  and  fond  of  contem- 
plating the  works  of  nature,  he  made 
frequent  use  of  the  microscope  and  tele- 
scope to  promote  useful  knowledge, 
and  to  encourage  elegant  amusement. 
In  private  life,  he  was  cheerful  and 
entertaining  ;  inquisitive  himself,  and 
communicative  to  others,  he  indulged 
his  family  and  friends  with  conversation 
of  the  most  instructive  kind,  seasoned, 
on  his  side,  from  a  fund  of  anecdote, 
with  humorous  illustrations  peculiar  to 
himself.  Mr.  Lewis  was  naturally  of 
a  gouty  habit;  and  this,  irritated  by  a 
formidable  complaint  in  the  bladder,  at 
length  seized  him  in  a  vital  part,  and 
put  an  end  to  his  existence  —  verifying 
the  remark  of  Lord  Bacon,  that  when  a 
learned  man  dies,  who  has  been  long 
a-making,  a  great  deal  dies  with  him. 

LORING,  the  Venerable  Henry 
Lloyd,  D.  D.  Archdeacon  of  Calcutta  ; 
Sept,  4,  1822,  in  the  38th  year  of  his 
age.  The  father  of  Archdeacon  Loring, 
Joshua  Lpring,  Esq.  was,  before  the 
American  revolution,  permanent  High 
Sheriff  of  the  province  of  Massachuset. 
He  followed  the  fortunes  of  his  mother 
country,  and  repaired  to  New  York, 
where  lie  was  appointed  Commissary 
General  of  Prisoners,  an  office  which 
he  discharged  with  humanity  and  dis- 
interestedness. At  the  peace  he  settled 
with  his  family  iu  Berkshire.  His 
brother,  Commodore  Loring,  distin- 


guished himself  as  a  brave,  intelligent, 
and  active  officer. 

Dr.  Loring,  who  was  born  in  the 
year  1784,  was  brought  up  at  Reading, 
under  Dr.  Valpy,  and  became  Fellow 
of  Magdalen  College,  Oxford,  where 
his  classical  attainments,  his  general 
information,  and  his  amiable  disposition, 
gained  him  the  love  and  admiration  of 
those  who  knew  him.  As  a  clergyman, 
he  rendered  himself  extensively  useful 
by  his  zeal  and  knowledge,  by  his  en- 
lightened charity,  and  by  the  faithful 
discharge  of  his  pastoral  duties.  In. 
all  the  Christian  graces  and  social  af- 
fections, which  flowed  from  the  most 
immaculate  purity  of  heart,  it  may  be 
safely  asserted  that  he  was  equalled  by 
few,  and  exceeded  by  none.  These 
amiable  qualities  naturally  gained  him 
many  friends,  particularly  that  accurate 
discerner  of  merit,  the  Marquis  of 
Hastings,  who  recommended  him  to 
the  appointment  of  Archdeacon  of  Cal- 
cutta, where  he  arrived  in  1814.  In 
that  situation  he  was  indefatigable  in 
his  earnest  and  successful  endeavours  to 
fulfill  the  designs  of  the  government, 
and  to  widen  the  sphere  of  Christianity. 
He  was  a  pattern  to  all  succeeding 
dignitaries  in  that  arduous  and  import- 
ant field  of  action.  He  was  orthodox 
without  bigotry,  conciliating  without 
selfish  views,  and  liberal  without  dere- 
liction of  principle.  He  had  the  happy 
art  of  directing  all  religious  societies 
into  the  most  effectual  support  of  the 
sound  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. As  a  preacher,  he  was  chaste, 
animated,  and  impressive.  Some  of 
his  sermons,  on  public  occasions,  were 
printed  at  the  request  of  his  congrega- 
tions, and  are  distinguished  by  the 
purest  flow  of  piety  and  persuasion. 

On  the  lamented  death  of  Bishop  Mid- 
dleton,  the  care  of  the  diocese  devolved 
upon  him,  in  conjunction  with  his  own 
immediate  duties.  His  labours  became 
consequently  so  multiplied,  and  his 
anxiety  to  discharge  them  strictly,  was 
so  urgent  on  his  mind,  that  it  is  supposed 
his  life  became  the  victim  of  exer- 
tions unremitted  amidst  the  severities  of 
a  burning  climate.  The  immediate 
cause  of  his  decease  was  a  sudden  and 
violent  attack  of  cholera  morbus,  which 
baffled  all  the  powers  of  medicine,  and 
in  a  few  hours  deprived  the  Christian 
world  of  one  of  its  brightest  ornaments. 
He  died  at  Calcutta,  on  the  4th  of  Sep- 
tember 1822;  in  the  38th  year  of  his 


448 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


We  might  enlarge  on  the  merit  of 
this  excellent  character ;  but  we  shall  do 
a  fuller  justice  to  his  memory  in  quoting 
from  the  Calcutta  Gazette  the  words  of 
a  friend,  who  was  a  witness  of  the  ap- 
plication of  his  talents,  and  of  the  extent 
of  his  usefulness. 

"  Archdeacon  Loring  was  in  every  re- 
spect, and  in  the  truest  sense  of  the  word, 
*  amiable ;'  it  was  impossible  to  know 
and  not  to  love  him.  Honest,  plain,  and 
manly  integrity,  '  doing  to  others  as  he 
would  be  done  by ;'  unaffected  humili- 
ty, '  esteeming  others  better  than  him- 
self :'  gentlemanly  principles  and  man- 
ners, and  sincere  piety,  all  united  greatly 
to  endear  this  respectable  clergyman  to 
the  now  sorrowing  circle  of  his  friends. 
The  tenderness  and  goodness  of  his 
heart,  and  the  delicacy  of  his  feelings, 
are  deeply  engraven  on  minds  which 
have  been  soothed  and  cheered  by  his 
kind  and  affectionate  attentions,  while 
they  were  also  gladdened  by  the  inno- 
cent playfulness  of  his  manners,  eman- 
ating from  the  peace  of  a  guileless  heart. 
As  a  tender  husband,  a  fond  parent,  a 
pious  son,  an  affectionate  brother,  and  a 
valuable  friend,  he  has  left  a*  chasm 
which  nothing  here  below  can  fill. 

"  Christianity  entered  deeply  into  his 
character,  and  influenced  the  conduct  of 
his  life.  He  regarded  religion  as  an 
awful  thing,  and  cultivated  it  in  humi- 
lity of  heart  and  in  faith,  conscious  of 
his  imperfections  and  demerits,  and 
therefore  void  of  familiarity  and  pre- 
sumption." 

Dr.  Loring  married  in  1816,  Henri- 
etta Louisa,  daughter  of  N.  E.  Kin- 
dersley,  Esq.  of  Sunning-hill,  and  has 
left  two  children. 

LUSHINGTON,  William,  Esq. 
September  llth  at  Tunbridge  Wells, 
aged  77.  Mr.  Lushington  was  for- 
merly a  merchant  in  London,  and  agent 
for  the  Isle  of  Grenada.  He  was  elect- 
ed M.  P.  for  the  City  of  London  in 
1795,  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Alderman 
Sawbridge  ;  and  in  the  same  year  was 
elected  Alderman  of  Billinsgate  Ward, 
on  the  death  of  Mr.  Alderman  Sains  - 
bury.  He  resigned  his  Alderman's 
gown  in  1799 ;  and  retired  from  the 
representation  of  the  City  of  London, 
at  the  General  Election  in  1802.  He 
also  filled  the  offices  of  Vice- President 
of  the  Artillery  Company,  Treasurer  of 
the  City  of  London  Lying-in -Hospital 
in  the  City -road,  and  Vice- President  of 
the  Society  of  Patrons  of  the  Charity 
Schools,  of  the  Asylum  for  the  Deaf  and 


Dumb,  and  of  the  Universal  Medical 
Institution  in  Old  Gravel-lane.  He 
was  also  a  Director  of  the  British  Fire 
Office.  Mr.  Lushington  was  a  man  of 
great  abilities,  and  an  eloquent  speaker, 
both  in  parliament  and  in  the  city  se- 
nate. He  published  "  The  Interests  of 
Agriculture  and  Commerce  insepara- 
ble," 8vo.  1808. 


M. 


M'NAB,  Henry  Grey,  Esq.  M.  D. 
Physician  to  His  Royal  Highness  the 
Duke  of  Kent ;  February  3d,  at  Paris, 
in  his  61st  year.  This  gentleman, 
whose  death  has  been  so  deservedly  la- 
mented, was  at  an  early  period  of  life 
Professor  of  Elocution  in  the  University 
of  Glasgow,  where  he  was  the  friend  and 
disciple  of  the  celebrated  philosopher 
Reid.  He  was  for  many  years  a  pri- 
soner of  war  at  Montpellier  in  France, 
under  the  tyranny  of  Buonaparte,  ex- 
periencing the  most  severe  privations 
and  separation  from  his  family,  and 
was  marked  by  his  humanity  and  liber- 
ality to  those  in  captivity.  At  one  time, 
during  an  insurrection,  he  was  instru- 
mental in  saving  the  town  from  being 
laid  in  ashes,  and  his  claims  on  the 
French  government  have  not  been  set- 
tled. The  worthy  doctor  was  the  au- 
thor of  several  distinguished  works; 
and,  about  the  period  of  his  death,  had 
finished  a  Treatise  upon  National  Edu- 
cation, founded  on  the  Word  of  God, 
and  agreeable  to  the  special  desire  of  his 
Royal  Highness,  who  was  known  to  be 
so  deeply  interested  in  the  cause  of  the 
rising  generation.  Dr.  M<Nab  was  also 
engaged  in  a  work  against  "  Premature 
Interment,"  in  which  he  was  patronized 
by  the  Duke  de  Cazes.  An  eloquent 
oration  was  pronounced  over  the  ashes 
of  this  philosopher  and  friend  of  human- 
ity, by  Count  LafFan  Ladebat,  who  was 
much  attached  to  him.  He  was  inter- 
red in  the  cemetery  of  Pere  La  Chaise. 

MACKEN,  Mr.  John,  the  Sailor 
Poet,  7th  June,  at  Enniskillen,  after  a 
protracted  and  painful  illness,  which  he 
endured  with  exemplary  fortitude.  This 
highly- gifted,  but  unfortunate  individual 
was  the  author,  under  the  feigned  name 
of  Ismael  Fitzadam,  of  two  delightful 
volumes  of  poetry,  "  The  Harp  of  the 
Desert,"  and  "  Lays  on  Land." 

MANNERS,  General  Robert,  of 
Bloxholm,  co.  Lincoln ;  June  9th,  at 
his  house  in  Cui'zon  Street,  May  Fair» 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


44-9 


He  Was  the  eldest  son  of  Lord  Robert 
Manners,  half  brother  of  John  3d  Duke 
of  Rutland,  and  several  years  M.  P.  for 
Kingston-upon-Hull;  was  born  Jan.  2, 
1 758,  entered  early  into  the  3d  regiment 
of  Dragoon  Guards,  then  commanded 
by  his  father  ;  on  the  3d  October  1 779, 
exchanged  to  the  86th  ;  and  afterwards 
obtaining  a  company  in  the  3d  Foot 
Guards,  served  with  it  in  the  campaign 
of  1794,  under  His  Royal  Highness  the 
Duke  of  York,  and  as  major  general 
under  the  same  illustrious  commander, 
during  the  operations  in  Holland,  where 
he  was  severely  wounded.  He  obtain- 
ed the  colonelcy  of  the  "Oth  reg.  of 
Foot,  Nov.  7,  1799,  which  he  continu- 
ed to  hold  to  the  period  of  his  decease. 

For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the 
equerries  to  his  late  Majesty  ;  and  on 
the  death  of  General  Philip  Golds- 
worthy,  succeeded  him  as  clerk  martial 
and  first  equerry;  remaining  attached 
to  the  person  and  suite  of  our  late  be- 
loved monarch  for  between  thirty  and 
forty  years,  from  whom  and  from  whose 
family  he  ever  experienced  strong  and 
gratifying  demonstrations  of  individual 
friendship  and  regard. 

General  Manners  was  in  1784  elect- 
ed M.  P.  for  Bedwin,  co.  Wilts,  which 
he  represented  until  the  year  1790, 
having  for  his  colleague  his  first  cousin 
the  present  Duke  of  Montrose,  then 
Marquis  Graham  ;  in  the  latter  year, 
after  an  unsuccessful  contest  for  North- 
ampton, upon  Francis  Dickens,  Esq., 
who  had  been  chosen  for  Cambridge, 
making  his  election  for  the  county  of 
Northampton,  he  succeeded  liim  upon 
the  Rutland  interest  at  the  former  place, 
and  remained  in  every  parliament  until 
1 820,  when  he  retired  altogether  from 
the  house  of  commons,  in  which,  like 
the  other  members  of  his  house,  he  had 
given  an  undeviating  support  to  the 
measures  and  policy  of  Mr.  Pitt  and 
his  successors. 

MARSHALL,  Samuel,  Esq.  Ser- 
jeant at  Law,  September  10th  at  Ted- 
dington  in  Middlesex.  Mr.  Marshall 
was  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Chester 
Circuit.  He  was  the  author  of  "  A 
Treatise  on  the  Law  of  Insurance,  in 
four  Books,"  1802,  2  vols.  8vo ;  a 
work  which  reached  a  second  edition, 
in  2  vols.  royal  8vo,  1 808. 

MARTIN,  John  Henry,  Esq.  R.N. 
May  7, at  Narberth.  He  was,we believe, 
the  last  surviving  companion  of  Captain 
Cooke,  in  his  voyage  round  the  globe. 

VOL.  VIII. 


MEYLER,  Mr.,  printer  and  book- 
seller,  and  proprietor  of  the  Bath  He- 
rald, August  6. ,  after  a  long  illness,  at 
his  house  in  the  Abbey-church-yard, 
Bath.  Mr.  Meyler  was  in  his  42nd  year, 
and  has  left  an  amiable  widow  and  five 
young  children:  he  was  a  member  of 
the  common  council  of  that  city,  was 
universally  esteemed,  and  his  loss  will 
be  deplored  by  his  numerous  friends 
and  relatives,  as  well  as  by  his  deeply 
afflicted  family,  to  whom  it  must  be  ir- 
reparable. 

MI  TAN,  Mr.  James,  aline  engraver 
of  considerable  celebrity,  Aug.  16.  1822, 
at  his  house  in  Warren-street,  Fitzroy 
Square.  He  was  born  in  London, 
Feb.  13.  1776,  and  the  rudiments  of 
education  were  taught  him  by  his  father, 
until  his  tenth  year,  when  he  was  placed 
at  Mr.  King's  Academy,  Soho.  Here 
he  continued  two  years,  and  then  re- 
ceived farther  instructions  at  home. 
In  1790  he  was  articled  to  Mr.  Vincent, 
a  writing- engraver  ;  but  soon  becoming 
tired  of  the  monotony  of  A,  B,  C,  and 
stimulated  by  the  excellence  of  the  pro- 
ductions of  Mr.  Sharp,  who  was  a  con- 
temporary apprentice  with  Mr.  Vincent 
to  an  heraldic  engraver,  he  resolved  to 
direct  his  efforts  to  the  attainment  of 
historical  engraving,  and  was  much  in- 
debted for  instruction  in  drawing  to 
Mr.  Agar,  then  a  pupil  of  Mr.  Cheese- 
man's.  Having  entered  himself  as  a 
student  of  the  Royal  Academy,  Somerset 
house,  he  commenced,  copying  the  tic- 
kets of  Bartolozzi,  &c.  which  became  a 
source  of  improvement  to  him,  as  well 
as  of  emolument  His  articles  expiring 
June  7.  1797,  his  time  became  princi- 
pally devoted  to  the  assistance  of  those 
who  possessed  either  established  repu- 
tation or  extensive  connexions  :  hence 
the  prints  that  are  known  to  be  of  his 
engraving  are  but  few  in  comparison 
with  the  works  of  some  modern  engrav- 
ers. In  the  year  1818  he  cultivated 
architectural  design.  His  first  produc- 
tion was  a  design  for  a  chain-bridge 
over  the  Mersey  at  Runcorn,  eighteen 
feet  in  length,  and  drawn  with  elaborate 
minuteness.  He  next  made  a  design 
for  a  monument  to  commemorate  the 
victory  of  Waterloo,  four  feet  five  by 
five,  that  nearly  employed  his  time  for 
three  months,  during  which  he  rose  at 
three  or  four  o'clock  every  morning  : 
this  drawing  was  exhibited  at  the  Royal 
Academy.  He  also  engraved  many 
plates,  after  his  own  designs,  for  the 


450 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


Admiralty,the  Freemason's  Society,  &c. 
These  exertions  evidently  endangered 
his  health,  which  was  much  renovated 
by  riding  on  horseback ;  but  applying 
afterwards  with  his  usual  intensity,  it 
brought  on,  ultimately,  a  paralytic  affec- 
tion, that  terminated  his  career,  leaving 
a  wife  and  family  to  regret  his  irrepara- 
ble loss,  and  robbing  the  arts  of  an  ex- 
cellent and  modest  professor.  He  was 
never  heard  to  speak  of  his  own  talents 
but  with  great  humility;  but  he  was 
amply  repaid  for  this  diffidence  by  the 
unextorted  praises  of  the  professors  of 
art,  all  of  whom  were  anxious  to  possess 
his  works  for  the  embellishment  of  their 
portfolios.  His  manners  were  mild  and 
polite,  and  he  was  ever  anxious  to  en- 
courage genius  where  ever  he  found  it. 
His  principal  productions  are  engrav- 
ings for  Mrs.  Inchbald's  Theatre ;  some 
of  Stothard's  vignettes  to  the  Irish  Me- 
lodies; of  Smirke's  designs  for  Don 
Quixote  ;  Gerard  Dow's  Musician ; 
Leslie's  Anne  Page ;  Interior  of  Wor- 
cester Cathedral ;  many  plates  to  Mr. 
Dibdm's  Bibliographical  Tour ;  and 
lastly,  a  delightful  gem,  after  Polemberg, 
of  the  masqued  ball  for  Dibdin's/'  ^Edes 
"  Althorpianae"— *  works  which  will  im- 
mortalize him,  and  place  his  fame  with 
the  Woollets,  the  Byrnes,  and  the  cele- 
brated engravers  of  the  English  school, 
whose  talents  are  equal  to  those  of  any 
foreign  professor.  Among  the  pupils 
who  owe  some  share  of  their  celebrity 
to  Mr  Mitan,  may  be  mentioned  his 
brother,  the  engraver  of  Mr.  Batty's 
Views  in  France,  &c.  ;  the  two  Fin- 
dens  ;  a  son  of  Mr.  Freebairn's,  the  late 
landscape-painter ;  and  other  artists  dis- 
tinguished in  this  branch  of  the  profes- 


N 


NASSAU,  George,  Esq.  Aug.  18. 
at  his  residence  in  Charles  street,  Berk>- 
ly  Square,  in  the  67th  year  of  his  age. 

The  noble  and  illustrious  house  of 
Nassau  has  produced  heroes  allied  to 
the  greatest  princes  of  Europe,  and  re- 
nowned both  in  the  cabinet  and  in  the 
field. 

Henry  Frederick  de  Nassau,  Prince 
of  Orange,  and  grandfather  to  William 
the  third,  of  glorious  memory,  Stadt- 
holder  of  the  United  Provinces,  and 
King  of  Great  Britain,  had  a  natural 
son,  Frederick  de  Nassau,  whom  he  en- 
dowed with  the  lordship  of  Zulestein, 
in  the  province  of  Utrecht,  and  who 
21 


thereupon  assumed  that  name.  By  his 
wife  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Sir  William 
Killigrew,  of  the  county  of  Cornwall, 
bart.  and  chamberlain  to  Queen  Ca- 
therine, the  consort  of  King  Charles  the 
Second,  he  had  issue  a  son  and  heir, 
William  Henry  de  Zulestein,  a  person 
high  in  favour  with  King  William  the 
Third,  and  whom,  in  consideration  of  his 
faithful  services  and  eminent  abilities, 
as  well  as  of  his  near  alliance  to  him  in 
blood,  that  monarch  was  pleased  to 
create,  by  letters  patent,  bearing  date 
the  10th  of  May,  1695, Baron  of  Enfield, 
in  the  county  of  Middlesex,  Viscount 
Tunbridge  in  Kent,  and  Earl  of  Roch- 
ford,  in  the  county  of  Essex.  His 
lordship  purchased  of  Sir  Henry  Wing- 
field,  bart.  (a  branch  of  a  very  antient 
and  widely-extended  family  in  Suffolk) 
the  manor  of  Easton  in  that  county, 
with  the  remainder  of  his  estates  in  the 
neighbourhood;  and  made  that  place 
his  occasional  residence. 

From  this  illustrious  personage  was 
lineally  descended  the  late  George 
Nassau,  esq. 

His  father,  the  Hon.  Richard  Savage 
Nassau,  was  the  second  son  of  Frede- 
rick, the  third  Earl  of  Rochford,  by 
Bessey,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Richard 
Savage,  the  fourth  Earl  Rivers,  and  was 
born  on  the  1st  of  June,  1723  ;  and  on 
the  24th  of  Dec.  1751, married  Elizabeth, 
the  sole  daughter  and  heir  of  Edward 
Spencer,  of  Rendlesham,  in  the  county 
of  Suffolk,  esq.  and  the  widow  of  James, 
the  third  Duke  of  Hamilton  in  Scotland, 
and  the  second  Duke  of  Brandon  in 
England.  By  this  lady  he  had  issue 
Lucy,  who  was  born  on  the  3rd  of  Nov. 
1752,  and  who  died  unmarried;  Wil- 
liam Henry,  born  June  28.  1754,  and 
who,  on  the  decease  of  his  uncle,  Wil- 
liam Henry,  the  fourth  Earl  of  Roch- 
ford, succeeded  him  in  his  honours;  and 
George,  the  subject  of  the  present  no- 
tice. Mr.  Nassau  purchased  Easton  of 
the  Earl,  his  elder  brother,  and  made  it 
for  several  years  his  constant  residence. 
He  was  likewise  one  of  the  clerks  of  the 
Board  of  Green  Cloth,  and  a  represent- 
ative in  parliament  for  the  borough  of 
Maiden  ;  and  departed  this  life  in  May, 
1 780,  the  year  previous  to  the  demise  of 
his  brother.  Her  grace  died  on  the 
9th  of  March,  1771. 

Mr.  Nassau  was  born  on  the  5th  of 
Sept.  1756,  and  inherited  from  the  will 
of  Sir  John  Fitch- Barker,  (who  died 
Jan.  3,  1766,)  of  Grimstone  Hall,  in  the 
Parish  of  Trimley  St.  Martin,  in  Suf- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR    1823. 


451 


folk,  bart.  (a  family  now  extinct  in 
the  county)  considerable  possessions ; 
and  for  some  time  resided  in  that  parish. 
In  1805  he  served  the  office  of  high 
sheriff  of  the  county.  Of  late  years, 
however,  Mr.  Nassau  has  constantly 
resided  in  town,  with  the  exceptions  of 
his  annual  visits  to  his  friends  at  Wol- 
verston.  On  the  12th  of  August  he 
was  seized  with  a  paralytic  affection, 
under  the  effects  of  which  he  lingered 
until  the  18th,  when  he  expired,  to  the 
inexpressible  grief  of  his  friends  and 
acquaintance. 

Mr.  Nassau  was  a  universal  favour- 
ite, inasmuch  as  he  possessed  those 
qualities,  of  which  mankind  are  seldom 
jealous,  and  which  they  are  ever  ready 
to  commend.  But  his  genuine  per- 
sonal character  could  be  justly  appre- 
ciated only  by  those  who  witnessed  him 
in  bis  domestic  circle.  Here  he  was 
eminently  distinguished  for  those  vir- 
tues which  form  the  chief  orna^nent  of 
private  life.  With  a  suavity  and  urba- 
nity of  manners  peculiarly  attractive, 
he  united  an  ardour  and  activity  of 
benevolence,  to  a  temper,  liberal,  disin- 
terested, and  humane  ;  adorned  with  the 
graces  of  external  accomplishments,  his 
easy  condescension  endeared  him  not 
only  to  the  circle  in  which  he  moved, 
but  also  to  those  with  whom  the  forms 
and  fashion  of  the  world  rendered  it 
necessary  that  he  should  associate.  He 
possessed  in  perfection  the 

"  Morum  dulce  melos,  et  agendi  semita 
simplex." 

Though  he  lived  much  with  the  great, 
his  manners  were  not  proud  or  arro- 
gant ;  they  were  the  pure  and  simple 
courtesies  of  life  ;  the  courtesies  which 
proceed  from  Christian  benevolence,  and 
a  lively  apprehension  of  the  feelings  of 
others.  His  piety  to  his  Maker  was 
zealous ;  his  faith  in  his  Redeemer  un- 
shaken ;  his  affection  to  his  friends 
consistent;  and  his  charity  to  those 
around  him  judicious  and  unostentatious. 
Beloved,  respected,  and  admired  by  all 
who  knew  him,  he  will  live  as  long  as 
ever  man  lived,  in  the  memory  and 
affection  of  his  friends. 

While,  therefore,  they  deeply  lament 
the  too  sudden  termination  of  such 
exalted  virtues,  they  will  console  them- 
selves with  the  reflection  (to  use  the 
words  of  an  eminent  writer  in  the  deli- 
neation of  his  own  character),  that  "if  he 
relieved  the  wants  and  distresses  of  the 
unhappy  without  ostentation ;  did  justice 


without  interest ;  maintained  his  own 
independence  without  pride  or  inso- 
lence ;  moderated  his  attachment  to  ex- 
ternal objects,  and  placed  his  affections 
on  those  above,  trusting  to  have  so  passed 
through  things  temporal  as  finally  to 
lose  not  the  things  that  are  eternal,  he 

will  be  found  by  them  to  have 

lived  enough  !" 

Attached,  at  an  early  period  of  life, 
to  the  arts  and  literature  of  his  country, 
as  well  as  to  the  investigation  of  its 
antiquities,  Mr.  Nassau  long  held  a  dis- 
tinguished rank  among  the  collectors  of 
rare  and  curious  works.  Possessed  of 
an  ample  fortune,  by  which  he  was  ena- 
bled to  gratify  his  wishes  and  propensity, 
and  which  he  did  without  regard  to 
expence,  he  spared  no  pains  in  the  for- 
mation and  extension  of  his  library. 
In  this  honourable  and  praise-worthy 
pursuit,  his  taste  in  selecting  was  no 
less  conspicuous  than  his  zeal  in  ac- 
quiring, whatever  was  scarce  and  valu- 
able in  the  various  branches  of  literature, 
from  the  earliest  period  to  the  present 
time.  His  favourite  classes,  however, 
were  early  English  poetry,  the  drama, 
topography,  and  history.  In  the  last 
two  departments,  his  collection  com- 
prises the  best  and  most  valuable  works, 
many  of  which  are  on  large  paper,  and 
illustrated  with  a  profusion  of  drawings, 
prints,  and  portraits ;  and  is  further  en- 
riched by  an  extensive  series  of  the 
rarest  historical  tracts.  His  tomes  of 
Old  English  poetry  and  dramatic 
works  are  numerous;  his  books  of 
emblems  unique ;  and  in  the  miscel- 
laneous productions  of  the  English 
press,  during  the  reigns  of  Queen  Eli- 
zabeth and  King  James  the  First,  most 
extensive.  Surrounded  by  his  favourite 
books,  and  in  the  true  enjoyment  of  the 
"otium  literarium  cum  dignitate,"  to 
him,  as  Prospero  says, 

"  his  library 

Was  dukedom  large  enough :" — 

and  even  to  the  close  of  his  life,  few  days 
passed  which  did  not  witness  some 
choice  and  valuable  addition  to  his  rich 
and  curious  treasures. 

To  the  elucidation  of  the  antiquities 
of  Suffolk  his  attention  was  early  di- 
rected; and  his  collections  in  this,  his 
favourite  department,  are  most  ample, 
and  profusely  enriched  with  accurate 
drawings  of  churches,  monuments,  seats, 
buildings,  &c.  His  productions  from 
the  pencils  of  Hooker,  Hearne,  and 
Byrne,  and  the  artists  of  his  native 
a  c  2 


452 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR  1823. 


county,  Gainsborough,  Frost,  and 
Johnson,  are  numerous  and  highly  valu- 
able ;  and  his  engraved  prints  and  por- 
traits, in  illustration  of  this  branch  of 
pursuit,  are  equally  ample.  The  many 
small  articles  of  unfrequent  occurrence, 
of  prophecies,  of  wonderful  relations, 
and  of  witchcrafts,  which  enrich  this 
department,  are  well  worthy  of  atten- 
tion, and  fully  evince  with  what  a  keen- 
ness and  an  ardour  he  sought  for 

"The  small,  rare   volume,  black  with 
tarnish'd  gold." 

Indeed,  a  more  choice  or  valuable  trea- 
sure of  Suffolk  topography,  and  of 
works  in  illustration  of  it,  has  been 
seldom  or  ever  collected. 

His  MS.  collection,  which  is  exten- 
sive, is  enriched  with  fine  copies  of 
<l  Ryece's  Collections  of  the  Antiquities 
of  Suffolk,"  once  in  the  possession  of 
Arthur  Collins,  esq.,  the  author  of  the 
"  Peerage  of  England,"  and  afterwards 
of  Nicholas  Revett,  Esq.  ;  \nd  of 
"  Hawes'  History  or  Memoirs  of  Fram- 
linghamand  Loes  Hundred  in  Suffolk;" 
both  illustrated  with  the  arms  of  the 
families  of  the  county,  beautifully  em- 
blazoned. 

In  the  "  Repertorium  Bibliographi- 
cum,"  are  enumerated  several  choice 
articles  in  Mr.  Nassau's  library. 

NEWBOLT,  Sir  John,  of  Ports- 
wood  House,  Hants;  January  22d; 
aged  53.  He  found  himself  a  little 
indisposed  on  the  preceding  day,  but 
his  death  was  quite  unexpected.  He 
had  eaten  a  hearty  dinner  on  the  day  he 
died,  and  the  awful  event  occurred  as 
the  attendants  were  conveying  him 
up  stairs.  He  was  chairman  of  the 
quarter  sessions  of  "Wiltshire,  was  son 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Newbolt,  of  Salisbury, 
and  was  educated  at  Winchester  Col- 
lege. He  was  bred  to  the  bar,  and 
went  for  some  time  on  the  western  cir- 
cuit. He  afterwards  passed  eleven 
years  in  India,  as  Recorder  at  Bombay, 
and  as  one  of  the  judges  in  the  court 
of  Judicature  at  Bengal,  situations 
which  he  filled  with  great  honour  to 
himself  and  advantage  to  his  country. 
On  his  return  to  England,  he  succeeded 
the  Right  Honorable  William  Sturges 
Bourne  as  chairman  of  Hants  county 
sessions.  Sir  John  was  twice  married, 
and  has  left  a  large  family  to  deplore 
his  loss.  His  remains  were  interred  at 
Stoneham. 

NIBLOCK,  Jane,  at  Ballykaskers, 
parish  of  Donaghadee,  in  her  104th 


year.  Though  chiefly  confined  to  her 
bed  two  years  previous  to  her  dissolu- 
tion, her  other  faculties  were  not  im- 
paired in  proportion  to  her  protracted 
existence,  as  she  could  relate  tales  of 
"  the  olden  times,"  with  astonishing 
emphasis  and  perspicuity. 

NOBLE,  William,  Esq.,  of  Foley 
Place ;  7th  June,  at  Wimbledon,  aged 
78.  Mr.  Noble  was,  we  believe,  born 
at  Bampton,  in  Westmoreland,  and  was 
formerly  a  banker  in  Pall  Mall.  In 
August  1792,  Mr.  Noble  visited  his 
native'  country,  accompanied  by  the 
late  Joseph  Budworth,  esq.  This  ex- 
cursion produced  a  very  pleasant  volume,, 
under  the  title,  "  A  Fortnight's  Ramble 
to  the  (Lakes ;"  in  which  Mr.  B. 
expresses  his  obligations  to  Mr.  Noble 
with  a  delicacy  equal  to  its  energy. 
Prefixed  to  the  volume  is  a  portrait  of 
Mr.  Noble,  under  the  designation  of 
"  The  Friend  of  Man." 


O. 


O'BEIRNE,  the  Right  Honourable 
and  most  Rev.  D.  D.  Bishop  of  Meath; 
February  15,  after  a  very  short  illness 
of  a  bilious  nature,  at  the  Lee  House, 
Ardbraccan,  Navan,  in  his  76th  year. 
Misled  by  a  circumstantial  account  of 
this  venerable  prelate's  death,  which 
appeared  uncontradicted  in  almost  all 
the  newspapers,  we  inserted  in  our  last 
volume,  p.  455,  a  biographical  memoir 
to  which  we  refer.  We  now  give  some 
interesting  additional  particulars  of  the 
life  of  this  amiable  prelate. 

His  lordship  was  the  representative 
of  an  ancient  and  respectable  family  of 
the  county  of  Longford,  descended  from 
one  of  those  princely  dynasties,  or  to- 
parchs,  which,  through  the  lapse  of 
time  and  mutations  of  fortune,  have  now 
no  such  honoured  existence  but  in  the 
recollections  of  national  pride  and  en- 
thusiasm. The  motto  "  Fuimus,"  adopt- 
ed by  some  members  of  the  family,  is 
very  expressive  of  the  ancient  consider- 
ation of  the  name  of  O'Beirne. 

His  Lordship  was  one  of  those  cha- 
racters whose  intrinsic  merits  command 
distinctions  which,  in  general,  are  only 
conceded  to  the  claims  of  family  interest, 
or  political  intrigue,  and  which  vindi- 
cate our  free  government  in  the  dispen- 
sation of  its  honours  to  individuals.  He 
was,  we  believe,  the  last,  or  nearly  the 
last,  of  that  bright  constellation  of  talent, 
genius,  and  learning,  to  which  a 
Burke  and  Fox  lent  their  illustrious 
15 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


453 


lights,  and  to  the  last  moment  of  his  life, 
the  powers  of  his  elegant,  rich,  and  clas- 
sic mind,  were  strong  and  energetic 
As  the  mortal  fabric  decayed,  the  mora. 
illumination  became  but  more  conspicu- 
ous— the  soul  seemed  to  have  acquired 
increased  vigour  as  the  moment  of  its 
release  approached,  and  the  glow  of  his 
intellect  was  sublimated,  not  subdued. 
He  laboured,  for  the  latter  years  of  his 
life,  under  an  acutely  painful  disease, 
which  never  affected  the  strength  of  his 
mind,  nor  interrupted  the  action  of  his 
duties.  In  his  domestic  circle  he  was 
one  of  the  most  amiable  and  pleasing  of 
men — none  could  enjoy  his  free  and  un- 
encumbered society  without  being  de- 
lighted and  instructed  ;  nor  depart  from 
such  an  intercourse,  without  being  im- 
pressed with  the  best  characters  of  the 
gentleman,  the  scholar,  and  the  Chris- 
tian divine :  these  impressions  were 
much  assisted  by  his  personal  eppear- 
ance,  having  been  one  of  the  handsom- 
est men  of  his  day.  He  occupied  no 
trivial  or  uninteresting  space  in  the  his- 
tory of  his  own  time  ;  and  having  arisen 
to  an  exalted  distinction  by  the  sole  force 
of  his  own  native  talents,  and  command- 
ing superiority,  it  would  be  strange,  in- 
deed, if  he  had  not  been  the  object  of  in- 
dividual envy,  and  of  factious  hostility. 

Dr.  O'Beirne  had  formerly  been  pre- 
sented to  the  living  of  Temple  Michael, 
near  Longford,  where  the  exercise  of  his 
sacred  duties  as  a  minister  of  the  estab- 
lished church,  and  the  active  and  effi- 
cient charities  of  him  and  his  exemplary 
lady,  a  member  of  the  noble,  indeed, 
we  might  almost  say,  royal  house  of 
Stuart,  Earls  of  Murray,  will  be  long 
and  gratefully  remembered. 

The  great  trust  as  Bishop  of  Meathhis 
Lordship  discharged  with  a  purity,  zeal, 
and  efficiency  of  duty,  of  which  he  has 
left  a  stronger  and  more  permanent  re- 
cord than  our  feeble  but  sincere  tribute 
of  approbation.  During  the  twenty -five 
ears  of  his  lordship's  government  of 
the  diocese,  he  did  more  to  raise  its 
Christian  character,  and  promote  the  faci- 
lities of  public  worship,  and  the  comfort 
and  residence  of  the  clergy,  than  had 
been  accomplished  either  in  that,  or  any 
other  diocese  in  Ireland,  for  the  last 
century.  We  need  but  refer  our  read- 
ers to  the  Ecclesiastical  Register,  for 
the  most  honourable  confirmation  of 
what  we  advance.  He  was  a  learned, 
zealous,  and  orthodox  divine — firm, 
manly,  and  bold  in  the  expression  of 
his  principles,  and  the  exercise  of  his 


high  and  important  duties;  and  his  de- 
mise at  the  present  moment  is  most 
grievously  aggravated  by  a  sense  of  the 
peculiar  dangers  which  threaten  that 
establishment,  of  which  he  was  not  only 
one  of  the  brightest  ornaments,  but  most 
able  and  zealous  defenders.  It  will  not 
form  a  weak  or  unhonouring  climax  to 
the  character  of  this  good,  pious,  and  able 
prelate,  to  add,  that  he  was  held  in  more 
than  ordinary  esteem  by  their  late  Ma- 
jesties. 

The  remains  of  his  lordship  were, 
with  unostentatious  privacy,  by  his  own 
desire,  deposited  in  the  same  vault  with 
Bishop  Pococke,  in  Ardbraccan  church- 
yard. The  funeral  sermon  was  preached 
by  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  Mr.  Packenham. 

By  his  death  the  poor  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Ardbraccan  have  lost  the 
kindest  and  most  efficient  benefactor. 


P. 


PACE,  Lieutenant  George,  R.  N. 
October  1st,  1822.  He  was  an  officer 
of  many  years'  standing,  and  was  born  in 
1767.  His  father  was  also  in  the  navy, 
and  served  in  the  American  war,  under 
the  command  of  Admiral  Lord  Shuld- 
ham  ;  during  which  period  he  was  em- 
ployed  in  his  lordship's  office;  in  con- 
junction with  the  late  Right  Hon. 
George  Rose,  and  the  late  Right  Hon. 
Sir  Evan  Nepean,  Bart. ;  and  although 
the  smiles  of  fortune  did  not  accompany 
him  through  life  so  invariably  as  they 
certainly  did  those  gentlemen,  yet  he 
obtained,  as  a  reward  for  his  merito- 
rious conduct,  the  rank  of  purser,  in 
which  his  career  was  terminated  by  a  fit 
of  the  gout.  In  May  1778,  Mr.  G. 
Pace  entered  the  naval  service,  as  a 
volunteer,  on  board  the  Amphitrite  fri- 
gate, then  employed  in  the  North  Sea ; 
and  in  January  1780  removed  into  the 
Ariadne  of  28  guns,  commanded  by 
Captain  Squires,  on  the  same  station. 
In  the  following  year  the  Astrea  frigate 
being  about  to  sail  for  the  American  and 
West  India  stations,  Mr.  Pace  joined 
that  ship  ;  after  which  he  served  for  a 
short  time  in  a  transport  employed  in  the 
Channel;  Peace  with  America  having 
now  taken  place,  and  all  prospects  of 
advancement  in  the  navy  being  at  an 
end,  Mr.  Pace  quitted  the  service,  as 
did  many  others,  who,  like  himself,  were 
deficient  in  the  necessary  interest  to  in- 
sure the  attainment  of  promotion. 
CG  3 


454* 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


When  the  French  Revolution,  with  all 
its  attendant  horrors,  took  place,  Mr. 
Pace  again  came  forward,  and  served  in 
the  Shannon  frigate  with  Captain  (now 
Admiral)  Alexander  Fraser,  and  in  1797 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant, 
and  to  the  Racoon  sloop  of  war,  which 
vessel  was  most  actively  and  successful- 
ly employed  on  the  Downs  station,  in 
taking  several  French  privateers  which 
infested  the  English  coast,  to  the  great 
annoyance  of  the  trade. 

In  consequence  of  ill  health,  brought 
on  through  over  exertion  in  the  active 
discharge  of  his  duty,  Lieut  Pace  was,  in 
1799,  compelled  to  resign  his  appoint- 
ment, and  retired  upon  half  pay.  In 
the  following  year  he  however  so  far 
recovered  as  to  solicit  employment,  and 
was  appointed  in  April  to  the  Glatton  of 
64  guns,  employed  in  the  North  Sea. 
The  severity  of  the  weather  off  the  coast 
of  Holland,  where,  from  the  activity  of 
the  enemy,  it  was  necessary  to  have  ships 
constantly  employed  to  watch  their  mo- 
tions, compelled  him,  in  January  1801, 
to  leave  that  ship.  In  a  few  months 
after  he  again  offered  his  services,  and 
received  an  appointment  to  the  Rjedoubt 
of  64,  and  was  selected  to  command  a 
tender  belonging  to  that  ship,  which  he 
continued  to  do  until  the  peace  of 
Amiens.  On  war  being  again  declared, 
Lieutenant  Pace  was  appointed  to  the 
Prince  George,  commanded  by  Captain 
(now  Vice  Admiral)  Sir  J.  S.  Yorke, 
fitting  at  Portsmouth,  when  from  ill 
health,  brought  on  by  a  complaint  in  the 
liver,  he  was  forced  to  resign  his  situa- 
tion, and  obtained  an  appointment  in 
the  sea  fencibles  at  Poole,  and  subse- 
quently removed  from  thence  to  super- 
intend the  signal  station  at  Ballard  Hill 
on  the  coast  of  Dorsetshire,  where  he 
remained  until  the  whole  of  those  esta- 
blishments were  discontinued.  After 
this  event,  the  Board  of  Admiralty  ap- 
pointed lieutenants  to  the  several  tele- 
graphs that  communicated  between 
London  and  the  out-ports,  and  Lieute- 
nant Pace  was  selected  to  superintend 
the  one  at  the  Admiralty  office.  The 
abolition  of  the  shutter  telegraph,  in- 
vented by  the  late  Lord  George  Murray, 
taking  place,  and  the  semaphore,  as  im- 
proved by  the  late  Rear  Admiral  Sir 
Home  Popham,  being  substituted, 
Lieut.  Pace  was  continued  during  the 
time  it  communicated  for  trial  to  Chat- 
ham, and  then  established  at  Ports- 
mouth, until  his  death,  which  happened 
through  apoplexy,  while  giving  instruc- 


tions, to  his  assistant  in  working  a 
sage. 

In  his  profession,  Lieut.  Pace,  by ; 
duity  and  attention  to  his  orders,  ob- 
tained the  praise  and  approbation  of  all 
his  commanders  ;  and  by  granting  such 
indulgencies  as  the  naval  service  per- 
mitted, the  good  will  of  those  whom  he 
was  placed  over.  In  private  life  he  was 
much  esteemed  for  his  urbanity  of  man- 
ners, and  a  disposition  to  alleviate  the 
distress  of  his  fellow  creatures,  as  far  as 
his  means  admitted.  As  a  social  com- 
panion, he  was  lively  and  entertaining, 
and  much  esteemed  among  his  friends. 

His  remains  were  deposited  in  the 
church-yard  of  St.  George's,  Southwark? 
followed  by  some  of  his  brother  officers 
and  acquaintances,  who  had  enjoyed  his 
society  for  many  years.  He  has  left  a 
widow  to  lament  his  death. 

PARK,  Mungo,  Esq.  M.  D.  at 
Trichinopoly,  Hindostan.  He  was  the 
eldest  son  of  the  late  Mungo  Park,  the 
celebrated  African  traveller. 

PEARSON,  Mrs.  Eglinton  Mar- 
garet, February  14th.  Mrs.  Pearson 
had  been  long  celebrated  for  her  exqui- 
site works  in  stained  glass.  Two  sets 
from  the  cartoons  of  Raphael  were 
in  succession  exhibited  some  years  since, 
and  obtained  universal  admiration  ;  the 
first  was  purchased  by  the  Marquess  of 
Lansdown,  the  brother  of  the  present 
noble  peer,  the  last  by  Sir  Gregory 
Page  Turner  :  a  third  set  she  finished 
about  1 8  months  ago  ;  and  in  conse- 
quence of  the  application  and  confine- 
ment, produced  a  complaint  which  ter- 
minated her  existence.  This  set  is 
considered  as  surpassing  the  former  j 
many  smaller  pieces  she  has  likewise 
left  behind,  sufficient  to  secure  her  im- 
mortality in  the  annals  of  the  art.  As 
a  woman  of  sense  and  education,  she 
will  be  long  remembered  with  respect,, 
and  the  recollection  of  her  warm  and 
friendly  disposition  will  be  fondly  che- 
rished by  her  surviving  friends,  and  her 
afflicted  partner.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  the  celebrated  Mr.  Samuel  Paterson, 
and  Miss  Hamilton,  of  the  noble  fami- 
lies of  Kennedy,  Cochran,  and  Cassilis, 
in  North  Britain. 

PERRY,  Mr.  Sampson,  suddenly, 
at  his  house  in  Southampton  Street, 
Bloomsbury,  aged  78. 

Mr.  Perry  was  formerly  connected 
with  the  press,  proprietor  and  editor 
of  a  daily  print.  It  appeared  from 
the  evidence  on  the  coroner's  inquest, 
that  he  had  latterly  become  very  const- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


455 


derably  in  debt,  and  but  two  days  be- 
fore attended  the  Insolvent  Debtors' 
Court,  when  no  opposing  creditor  ap- 
pearing, he  was  declared  entitled  to  his 
discharge.  He  returned  from  the  court  in 
exceeding  good  spirits,  to  Southampton 
Street,  where  he  had  held  a  house  for 
22  years,  merely  to  dinner,  as  the  officer 
who  accompanied  him  was  ordered  to 
take  him  back  to  prison,  whence,  on  the 
following  day,  he  would  have  been  dis- 
charged, had  he  lived.  Mrs.  Perry  had 
prepared  some  dinner,  to  which  he  sat 
down,  laughing  and  making  some  hu- 
mourous observations;  but  just  as  he  was 
conveying  some  food  to  his  mouth,  he 
fell  back  in  his  chair,  exclaiming,  "Lord 
have  mercy  upon  us!"  and  instantly  ex- 
pired. Surgeons  were  sent  for,  but  the 
vital  spark  had  fled;  and,  on  examining 
the  body  internally,  it  was  discovered 
that  his  death  was  occasioned  by  the  rup- 
ture of  the  main  artery  of  the  heart. 

Mr.  Perry  was  born  at  Asfon,  near 
Birmingham,  and  was  educated  for  the 
medical  profession.  His  life  had  been 
full  of  vicissitudes,  and  he  had  many 
narrow  escapes  with  his  life,  in  situations 
of  great  danger.  He  was  many  years 
ago  Surgeon  to  the  Middlesex  Militia, 
and  a  vender  of  a  nostrum  for  the  cure 
of  the  stone  and  gravel ;  but  devoting 
himself  to  political  pursuits,  he  became, 
in  1796,  the  editor  of  a  paper  called, 
"  The  Argus,  or  General  Observer  of 
the  Moral,  Political,  and  Commercial 
World."  This  publication,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  French  Revolution, 
was  distinguished  for  its  industry  in 
disseminating  republican  doctrines.  For 
a  libel  in  this  journal,  the  publisher  was 
prosecuted  and  convicted,  on  which  he 
withdrew  to  Paris,  where  he  contracted 
an  intimacy  with  Tom  Paine4  and  other 
demagogues;  but  the  reign  of  terror 
made  that  capital  too  dangerous  for  him. 
He  was  imprisoned  nine  times  inFrench 
prisons;  and  during  the  reign  of  Ro- 
bespierre, he  was  confined  with  Thomas 
Paine,  and  was  by  Robespierre  con- 
demned to  death,  without  the  then 
thought  unnecessary  form  of  trial.  He 
escaped  his  dreadful  doom  by  the  follow- 
ing singularly  fortunate  circumstance: 
his  prison  or  cell-door  was  hung  upon  a 
swivel,  and  by  the  least  motion  would 
turn  round  any  way.  The  custom  was 
to  mark  with  red  chalk  the  doors  of  the 
cells  of  those  who  were  condemned  to 
death,  and  his  door  was  marked :  but 
the  turnkey  leaving  the  cell  in  the 
morning  appointed  for  execution,  acci- 


dentally let  the  door  turn  round,  not  ob- 
serving that  the  door  was  thus  reversed, 
and  that  the  "mark  of  death"  was 
inside  instead  of  being  out.  Before  he 
noticed  the  circumstance,  the  officers  of 
execution  arrived,  to  take  from  every 
cell  marked  with  red  chalk  the  victims 
of  revolutionary  fury ;  and  perceiving 
Mr.  Perry's  cell  not  marked,  they  passed 
it,  and  when  thegaoler  again  came  round 
and  opened  the  door,  he  was  thunder- 
struck on  finding  Mr.  Perry  and  Paine 
alive ;  but  ere  he  had  time  to  apprise 
any  person,  he  was  shot  by  some  of  the 
infuriated  mob  who  had  just  burst  open 
the  prison,  and  who  liberated  the  cap- 
tives just  as  the  monster  Robespierre  was 
led  bleeding  to  the  scaffold. 

After  this,  Mr.  Perry  returned  to 
England,  where  he  was  taken  up  on  the 
outlawry  which  he  had  incurred  by  net 
appearing  for  judgment  on  his  former 
conviction.  He  remained  in  Newgate 
till  a  change  of  ministry,  and  then  was 
liberated.  During  this  period  he  main- 
tained his  wonted  spirit,  and  employed 
himself  in  translating  from  the  French, 
and  in  a  variety  of  literary  works.  He 
afterwards  purchased  the  Statesman, 
which  he  edited  for  two  or  three  years, 
and  then  re-sold.  Since  that  time  he 
has  been  engaged  in  several  political  ad- 
ventures. 

He  published  "  A  Treatise  on  the 
Lues  Gonorrhaea,  and  Tabes  Dorsalis," 
1786,  8vo.— "A  Philosophical  and  His. 
torical  Sketch  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion," 1795,  2\ols.  8vo.— "The  Origin 
of  Government  compatible  with  and 
founded  on  the  Constitutional  object  of 
the  Corresponding  Society,"  1797,  in 
8vo. 

A  few  years  since  he  married  a  second 
time,  and  has  left  a  widow  and  a  young 
family  in  great  distress. 

PETT,  Samuel,  Esq.  M.  D.  Jan. 
1st.  at  Clapton;  in  the  57th  year  of  his 
age. 

Dr.  Pett  was  of  a  respectable  family 
at  Liskeard  in  Cornwall,  and  was  born 
on  the  24th  of  September,  1765. 

He  received  the  rudiments  of  his  edu- 
cation at  the  grammar  school  of  his  na- 
tive town.  In  1781,  when  he  was  in  his 
sixteenth  year,  he  entered  the  dissenting 
academy  at  Daventry.  Dr.  Pelt's  first 
settlement  in  his  professional  character 
was  at  Plymouth.  He  removed  in 
1796,  and  took  up  his  abode  at  Clapton. 
Unambitious  in  his  sentiments,  and  re- 
tired in  his  habits,  he  contented  himself 
at  first  with  the  life  ef  a  private  gentle- 
G  a  4 


456 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


man,  and  would  in  all  probability  have 
continued  in  retirement,  had  he  not  been 
overruled  by  the  importunities  of  friends 
to  resume  his  profession. 

Some  medical  practitioners  of  the  first 
eminence,  among  whom  were  the  late 
Doctors  Pitcairn  and  Saunders,  strongly 
urged  him  to  fix  in  the  metropolis.  To 
this  he  objected  on  the  ground  of  health, 
and  it  may  be  from  feeling  himself  un- 
equal to  the  anxiety  and  effort  required  to 
a  successful  London  practice.  He  was 
besides  increasingly  bound  to  Hackney 
by  several  valuable  friendships;  and  here 
accordingly,  in  compliance  with  the 
wishes  of  many ,  he  again  took  up  his  pro- 
fessional character  in  the  year  1804 ;  and 
the  event  proved  that  his  decision  was 
wisely  formed,  for  his  practice  soon  be- 
came considerable,  and  it  was  growing 
yearly,  until  the  time  of  his  decease. 

Dr.  Pett  cheerfully  accepted  and 
conscientiously  fulfilled  the  duty  of 
physician  to  the  Refuge  for  the  Desti- 
tute in  Hackney  Road.  In  the  regu- 
lar and  unambitious  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession Dr.  Pett's  life  was  varied  by  few 
incidents.  His  studies  of  later  years 
were  chiefly  medical,  and  few  persons 
in  the  profession  were  better  acquainted 
with  the  history  of  disesae,  and  with  the 
discoveries  made  in  the  healing  art. 
His  leisure  from  his  increasing  medical 
duties,  was  devoted  to  general  literature 
and  science,  and  to  the  enjoyments  of 
social  intercourse,  in  which  he  took  a 
lively  pleasure,  and  to  which  he  largely 
contributed.  By  a  liberal  education 
he  had  acquired  a  great  mass  of  general 
knowledge,  and  no  small  share  of  ele- 
gant learning;  and  by  a  judicious  dis- 
position of  his  acquirements  appeared 
competent  to  the  discussion  of  any  sub- 
ject, whether  scientific  or  literaiy.  It 
is  to  be  regretted  that  an  unjust  esti- 
mate of  his  own  powers  kept  him  from 
the  practice  of  literary  composition,  since 
the  few  specimens  of  his  writings  that 
have  been  given  to  the  public  evince  re- 
markable soundness  of  judgment,  deli- 
cacy of  feeling,  and  simplicity  and  per- 
spicuity of  style.  In  the  exercise  of  his 
profession  Dr.  Pett  always  appeared 
in  his  own  character,  disinterested,  con- 
descending, liberal,  and  generous.  Af- 
ter the  first  visit  he  was  no  where  a 
stranger.  His  patients  were  his  friends. 
This  was  the  case  no  less  with  the  poor 
than  with  persons  in  good  circum- 
stances. The  poor  knew  and  felt  this, 
and  hence  he  was  always  denominated 
by  them  "The  Poor  Man's  Friend." 


The  blessing  of  them  that  were  ready 
to  perish  came  upon  him.  A  great 
number  of  individuals  in  humble  liie,to 
whom  he  had  been  a  benefactor,  be- 
wailed his  death,  and  still  lament  bit- 
terly their  own  loss.  No  man,  perhaps, 
in  his  station,  was  ever  followed  to  the 
grave  by  more  or  deeper  mourners;  con- 
sisting too  of  that  class  of  persons  whose 
mourning  is  the  dictate,  not  of  fashion, 
but  of  the  heart.  He  was,  indeed, 
"  worthy,  for  whom"  they  "  should  do 
this."  He  took  real  pleasure  in  being 
serviceable  to  his  poor  neighbours. 
Frequently,  after  a  fatiguing  day,  and 
when  he  was  beginning  to  enjoy  the 
comforts  of  his  fireside,  he  has  called  to 
mind  some  patient  of  this  class  who  ex- 
pected his  visit,  and,  regardless  of  wea- 
ther and  every  other  inconvenience,  has 
proceeded  to  the  abode  of  want  and  dis- 
ease, at  a  considerable  distance  from  his 
own  habitation.  One  of  the  last  efforts 
of  his  failing  speech,  was  an  explana- 
tion to  his  servant  of  the  residences  of 
some  poor  patients,  whom  he  was  anxi- 
ous to  inform  of  his  illness,  lest  they 
should  suffer  in  mind  or  body  from  his 
non-attendance. 

Nothing  can  more  strongly  illustrate 
the  power  of  Dr.  Pett's  excellent  cha- 
racter, than  the  degree  of  respect  and 
esteem  which  he  enjoyed  amongst  the 
members  of  his  own  profession,  whom 
he  conciliated,  amidst  differences  of 
opinion  and  interest,  by  his  frank  con- 
duct and  amiable  manners.  He  was 
a  bond  of  union  to  such  of  them  as  were 
in  his  own  neighbourhood  :  those  that 
were  at  a  distance  put  confidence  in 
him,  on  account  of  his  wide-spread 
moral  reputation.  In  general  society, 
Dr.  Pett  was  a  universal  favourite. 
His  manners  were  easy  but  dignified, 
indicating  all  that  is  intended  by  the 
word  gentleman.  He  was  diffident,  but 
not  reserved.  As  occasion  offered,  he 
took  his  share  in  conversation,  and  his 
remarks  displayed  a  highly  cultivated 
and  well-stored  mind.  His  countenance 
bespoke  his  character  :  it  was  manly, 
ingenuous  and  benignant.  He  had 
a  peculiarly  benevolent  smile,  which 
was  irresistibly  fascinating.  Beyond 
the  circle  of  his  profession,  his  charities 
were  very  great.  He  had,  in  fact,  a 
deep  sense  of  the  obligation  that  lies 
upon  a  Christian  to  do  good  ;  and  such 
was  his  humility,  that  he  frequently  la- 
mented the  small  amount  of  his  useful- 
ness. There  was  scarcely  a  public  ob- 
ject dependent  upon  private  liberality 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


457 


for  support,  within  his  own  immediate 
connexion,  to  which  he  was  not  a  sub- 
scriber ;  and  many  were  his  contributions 
to  distressed  individuals  and  decayed 
families,  known  to  few  besides  the  re- 
cipients of  his  bounty  and  Him  who 
seeth  in  secret. — To  improvements  in 
the  condition  of  his  fellow-creatures 
he  was  eagerly  devoted,  especially  such 
as  came  within  the  scope  of  his  pro- 
fession. Having  thoroughly  studied 
from  the  beginning,  and  watched  the 
operation  of  Dr.  Jenner's  discovery,  he 
was  a  zealous  advocate  for  vaccination, 
which  he  believed  would  finally  exter- 
minate the  small-pox,  or  at  least  destroy 
the  malignity  of  the  disease.  He  therefore 
discouraged  the  variolous  inoculation, 
and  partly  as  a  trustee  of  the  parish  of 
Hackney,  and  partly  as  a  physician,  he 
procured  the  disuse  of  the  practice 
amongst  the  parochial  dependents.  He 
drew  up  a  paper  on  the  comparative 
advantages  of  the  two  inoculations,  to 
which  he  gained  the  signatures  of  the 
medical  practitioners  at  Hackney,  and 
this  determined  the  resolution  of  the 
guardians  of  the  poor. — Without  any 
ostentation  of  profession,  Dr.  Pett  was 
a  decided  Christian.  He  had  little 
relish  for  theological  and  metaphysical 
niceties  ;  but  he  entered  with  his  heart 
and  soul  into  those  great  views  of  re- 
ligion which  regard  the  perfection  of 
the  divine  character,  and  the  improve- 
ment and  happiness  of  the  human  race. 
He  despised  the  mummery  of  super- 
stition, and  shrunk  with  abhorrence 
from  the  appearance  of  bigotry.  On  the 
whole,  Dr.  Pett  was  an  extraordinary 
instance  of  moral  goodness.  In  any 
one  good  quality  he  might  have  many 
equals,  though  few  superiors,  but  in  the 
aggregate  of  his  character  he  excelled 
most  persons.  He  had  his  peculiar 
place  in  society,  in  which  his  death  has 
created  a  total  blank.  No  one  can  be 
expected  to  be  to  his  friends  and  neigh- 
bours exactly  what  he  was.  By  all  that 
knew  him,  it  will  be  long  before  he  is 
thought  of  without  pungent  regret,  or 
spoken  of  without  strong  emotion. 

Dr.  Pett  died  at  his  residence  in  Clap- 
ton-square, on  the  1st  of  January, 
1823 ;  in  the  57th  year  of  his  age.  His 
death  was  the  consequence  of  a  slight 
wound  in  the  hand,  which  he  received 
while  engaged  in  dissection. 

PHILPOT,the  Key. Charles,  M.  A. 
Rector  of  Ripple  in  Kent,  and  Vicar 
of  St.  Margaret  at  Cliffe  ;  Feb.  12  ;  at 
Ripple,  in  his  64th  year.  Descended 


from  a  respectable  family  in  Leicester- 
shire, Mr.|Philpot  received  the  rudi- 
ments of  his  classical  education  at  the 
foundation  school  at  Leicester,  whence 
he  removed  to  Emanuel  College  at 
Cambridge,  where  he  took  the  degrees 
of  B.  A.  1780,  M.  A.  1787  ;  and  where 
he  gained  two  Seatonian  prizes  in  the 
two  successive  years  of  179O  and  1791, 
and  acquired  the  valuable  friendship  of 
the  late  learned  Bishop  of  Cloyne,  Dr. 
Farmer,  and  many  other  literati  of  the 
day.  His  attaiments  as  a  scholar  were 
of  a  very  high  order,  and  his  love  of 
letters  remained  with  him  through  life, 
and  was  the  delight  and  solace  of  the 
retirement  in  which  he  chose  to  pass  his 
days.  His  mind  was  not  less  stored 
with  elegant  literature,  than  with  the 
deeper  and  more  abstruse  branches  of 
learning,  and  the  amusement  of  his 
latter  years  was  writing  a  History 
of  the  Rise  and  Progress  of  the  Re- 
formed Church  in  France,  embracing 
the  manners  and  literature  of  that  in- 
teresting period,  and  not  yet  printed, 
but  which  it  is  to  be  hoped  may  yet  be 
given  to  the  public.  In  1781,  he  publish- 
ed "  Humility,  a  Night-thought,"  4to. 
In  1793  he  was  presented  to  the  living 
of  Ripple,  byC  .  F.  Palmer,  Esq.;  and 
in  1813  to  that  of  St.  Margaret  at 
Cliffe,  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury. 
As  he  had  lived  respected  by  his  nu- 
merous friends,  so  he  died  sincerely 
lamented  by  them  and  his  family.  He 
has  left  by  Maria,  only  daughter  of  the 
late  Rev.  Peter  La  Fargue,  of  Stam- 
ford, co.  Lincoln,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters  to  mourn  their  irreparable 
loss. 

PL  AM  PIN,  the  Rev.  John, 
May  30,  at  Chadacre  Hall,  in  Shimp- 
ling,  Suffolk,  aged  68.  This  respecta- 
ble divine  received  his  academical  edu- 
cation at  Jesus  College,  Cambridge, 
where  he  proceeded  B.  A.  in  1776  ;  and 
being  classed  the  12th  Wrangler  on  the 
Tripos,  was  in  consequence  thereof 
elected  fellow.  In  1779  he  proceeded 
M.  A.  ;  in  1794  he  was  presented  by 
his  society  to  the  rectory  of  Whatfield  ; 
and  180O,  to  the  rectory  of  Stanstead. 
The  Rev.  John  Clubbe,  the  witty  and 
ingenious  author  of  "  the  History  of 
Wheatfield,"  was  once  rector  of  What- 
field, and  to  his  memory,  Mr.  Plampin 
erected  the  followingelegant  and  classi- 
cal inscription.  It  is  on  a  small  mural 
tablet,  in  a  rural  temple  in  the  rectorial 
garden;  and  the  beauty  of  the  inscription 
is  much  heightened  by  the  bower  having 


458 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX    FOR    1823, 


been  formed  of  the  very  trees  and  shrubs 
which  Mr.  Clubbe  had  planted.  It  is 
as  follows  : 

JOHANNI  CLUBBE, 
sale  et  facetiis  ante  omnes 

primo, 

cui  olim  hae  pinus 

et  ipsa  haec  arbusta, 

apprimd  fuerunt  in  deliciis, 

sedem  hanc  dicat 

J.  P. 

MDCCXCVIII. 

PLAYFAIR,  Mr. William,  Feb.  11, 
in  London,  in  the  64th  year  of  his  age. 

Mr.  Playfair  was  the  son  of  a  clergy- 
man in  the  neighbourhood  of  Dundee, 
and  was  born  in  1 759.  His  father  dying 
when  he  was  young,  his  education  and 
support  principally  rested  on  his  elder 
brother,  the  late  celebrated  Professor 
John  Playfair,  who  was  then  a  minister 
of  the  church  of  Scotland.  Both  bro- 
thers were  men  of  strong  understandings, 
but  that  of  John  was  better  disciplined 
by  a  college  life  than  that  of  "William, 
buffeted  about  as  the  latter  was  in  the 
world,  in  attempting  to  realize  his  nu- 
merous projects.  Discovering  an  early 
tastejfor  the  mechanical  arts,  Mr.  William 
Playfair  was,"  when  of  a  sufficient  age, 
apprenticed  for  a  short  period  to  a  mill- 
wright of  the  name  of  Mickle,  where 
he  had  for  his  fellow  apprentice  John 
Ilennie,  the  celebrated  engineer.  He 
subsequently  quitted  Scotland  for  Eng- 
land, and  proceeding  to  Birmingham, 
was  engaged  in  1780,  as  a  draughtsman 
at  Soho,  in  the  employment  of  Mr. 
James  Watt. 

Had  Mr.  Playfair  cultivated  his  me- 
chanical genius,  there  is  no  doubt  that 
he  would  not  only  have  obtained  consi- 
derable eminence,  but  have  rendered  no 
inconsiderable  service  to  his  country. 
Unhappily,  however,  for  his  own  inte- 
rests, he  had  the  ambition  to  become 
an  author. 

Few  individuals  of  the  present  day 
have  written  so  much  or  so  consistently 
as  Mr.  Playfair.  Politics  and  political 
economy  were  his  favourite  topics,  and 
there  has  scarcely  been  a  subject  of 
public  interest,  connected  with  either, 
during  the  last  forty  years,  that  has  not 
elicited  a  pamphlet  from  his  prolific  pen. 
Firmly  devoted  to  the  interests  of  his 
country,  he  never  suffered  any  opportu- 
nity of  serving  it  by  his  pen  to  escape 
him,  though  his  exertions  went  unre- 
warded, and  he  often  incurred  expenses 
which  his  circumstances  could  very  ill 
bear.  As  one  instance  of  the  neglect 


with  which  Mr.  Playfair  was  treated,  we 
may  mention,  that  although  he  was  the 
person  who  furnished  the  plan  and  al- 
phabet of  the  telegraph  to  the  British 
Government,  which  enabled  it  to  adopt 
a  system  of  communication  then  so 
successfully  employed  by  our  great 
enemy,  yet  his  services  were  not  only 
unrequited,  but  even  very  tardily  ac- 
knowledged. Mr.  Playfair  happened  to 
be  at  Frankfort-on-the- Maine,  when  a 
member  of  the  parliament  of  Bourdeaux 
arrived  at  the  same  inn,  and  described 
to  him  a  telegraph,  which  had  been 
erected  on  the  mountain  of  Belville. 
Mr.  Playfair,  of  whose  mechanical  pow- 
ers we  shall  speak  hereafter,  soon  com- 
prehended the  plan,  and,  in  die  course  of 
the  next  day,  executed  two  working 
models  of  the  instrument,  which  he 
sent  to  the  Duke  of  York,  «  and  hence," 
says  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  "  the 
plan  and  alphabet  of  the  machine  came 
to  England." 

Although  from  this  time,  the  cacoethes 
scribendi  became  his  ruling  passion, 
yet  it  was  not  the  only  one,  and  Mr. 
Playfair  successively  obtained  five  pa- 
tents for  various  inventions.  One  of 
them  was  for  making  sashes  of  metal, 
composed  of  copper,  zinc,  and  iron, 
which  he  called  el  dorado  sashes,  and 
with  which  several  windows  in  Carlton 
House,  and  some  door  sashes  in  the 
British  Museum,  are  fitted  up. 

Mr.  Playfair  also  invented  a  machine 
to  complete  the  ornamental  part  or  fret 
work  of  silver  tea-boards  and  sugar- 
tongs,  which  had  hitherto  been  executed 
by  the  hand  only.  The  same  machine 
was  applicable  to  the  manufacture  of 
coach- ornaments,  buckles,  and  even 
horse-shoes.  Of  the  latter,  it  made  six 
dozen  and  a  half,  from  the  iron  bars,  in 
seven  minutes. 

After  residing  some  time  in  London, 
where  Mr.  Playfair  opened  a  silver- 
smith's shop  for  the  sale  of  plate  of  his 
own  manufacture,  he  proceeded  to  Paris, 
and  entered  into  some  mechanical  spe- 
culations, particularly  a  rolling  mill  on 
a  new  plan,  for  which  he  had  obtained 
an  exclusive  privilege  from  the  king. 
While  residing  in  that  capital,  he  formed 
an  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Joel  Barlow, 
who  had  been  sent  agent  to  Paris  for 
the  sale  of  lands  on  the  banks  of  the 
Sioto,  a  river  which  falls  into  the  Ohio. 
These  lands,  to  the  extent  of  three  mil- 
lions of  acres,  had  been  purchased  by  a 
company  at  New  York,  of  which  Mr. 
Duer,  an  eminen.t  merchant,  and  Mr. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX   FOR    1823. 


4-59 


Hamilton,  secretary  to  the  United  States* 
treasury,  were  leading  members.  Mr. 
Barlow  being  without  connections  in 
Paris,  and  unacquainted  with  the  Ian- 
guage,  found  some  difficulty  in  carrying 
his  object  into  effect,  until  introduced 
to  Mr.  Playfair,  who  undertook  the  dis- 
posal of  the  lands.  The  French  revolu- 
tion rendering  emigration  a  matter  of 
choice  to  some,  and  of  necessity  to  more, 
Mr.  Playfair  undertook  the  agency,  to 
dispose  of  the  lands,  at  five  shillings  per 
acre,  one  half  of  which  was  to  be  paid 
on  signing  the  act  of  sale,  and  the  other 
half  to  remain  on  mortgage  to  the  United 
States,  to  be  paid  within  two  years  after 
taking  possession.  The  office  was  open- 
ed in  a  large  hotel  in  the  Rue  Neuve 
des  Petits  Champs,  contiguous  to  the 
Palais  Royal,  in  November  1789,  under 
the  title  of  the  Sioto  Company  ;  and,  in 
less  than  two  months,  fifty  thousand 
acres  of  land  were  sold.  Two  vessels 
sailed  from  Havre  de  Grace,  laden  with 
emigrants ;  and  the  colony  of  Sioto, 
thus  formed  by  Mr.  Playfair,  though 
not  a  very  flourishing,  is  an  improving 
settlement. 

The  political  opinions  of  Mr.  Playfair 
were  not  very  favourable  to  the  French 
Revolution,  and  happening  to  express 
himself  somewhat  freely  on  the  subject, 
he  provoked  the  enmity  of  Barrere,  who 
obtained  an  order  for  his  arrest ;  ap- 
prised, however,  of  his  danger,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  making  his  escape  to  Holland, 
and  thence  to  England.  On  his  return 
to  London,  Mr.  Playfair  projected  a 
bank,  to  be  called  the  Security  Bank, 
in  which  Mr.  Hartsinck,  formerly  in  the 
celebrated  house  of  the  Hopes  at  Am- 
sterdam, and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hutchinson, 
became  partners.  This  bank  was  open- 
ed in  Cornhill ;  its  object  was  to  divide 
large  securities  into  small  ones,  and 
thus  to  facilitate  the  negotiation  of  small 
loans.  Unfortunately,  however,  suffi- 
cient attention  was  not  paid  to  the  na- 
ture of  the  security,  and  bankruptcy 
ensued.  From  this  period  we  have  only 
to  consider  Mr.  Playfair  as  a  literary 
man,  whose  life,  like  that  of  most  au- 
thors, was  much  chequered.  Of  his  ac- 
tivity, the  following  list  of  his  works 
will  bear  ample  evidence  : — 

1 .  Joseph  and  Benjamin. — 2.  Regula- 
tions for  the  Interest  of  Money,  1785.— 
3.  The  Statistical  Breviary,  showing  on 
a  principle  entirely  new,  the  Resources 
of  every  State  and  Kingdom  of  Europe. 
— 4.  The  Commercial  and  Political  At- 
las, 1786. —5.  On  the  Asiatic  Establish- 


ments of  Great  Britain,  4to.— 6.  The 
inevitable  Consequences  of  a  Reform  in 

Parliament 7.  A  general  View  of  the 

actual  Force  and  Resources  of  France, 
1793. — 8.  Better  Prospects  to  the  Mer- 
chants and  Manufacturers  of  Great- 
Britain,  1793. — 9.  Thoughts  upon  the 
present  State  of  French  Politics,  1793. 
— 10.  Peace  with  the  Jacobins  impos- 
sible, 1794. — 11.  Letter  to  Earl  Fitz- 
william,  occasioned  by  his  two  Letters 
to  the  Earl  of  Carlisle,  1794.— 12.  The 
History  of  Jacobinism,  1795. — 13.  A 
real  Statement  of  the  Finances  and  Re- 
sources of  Great  Britain,  1796. — 14. 
Statistical  Tables,  exhibiting  a  View  of 
all  the  States  of  Europe,  4to.  1800. — 
15.  Proofs  relative  to  the  Falsification, 
by  the  French,  of  the  intercepted  Letters 
found  on  board  the  Admiral  Aplin  East 
Indiaman,  8vo.  1804. — 16.  An  En- 
quiry into  the  Causes  of  the  Decline  and 
Fall  of  wealthy  and  powerful  Nations, 
4to.  1805, 2nd  edit.  1807. — 17.  Smith's 
Wealth  of  Nations,  with  notes,  supple- 
mentary chapters,  &c.  1 1  edit.  3  vols. 
8vo.  18O6. — 18.  A  Statistical  Account  of 
the  United  States  of  America,  translated 
from  the  French,  8vo.  1807. — 19.  Plan 
for  Establishing  the  Balance  of  Power 
in  Europe,  8vo.  1813. — 20.  British  Fa- 
mily Antiquity,  9  vols.  4  to. — 21.  An 
Address  to  the  Nobility  on  the  Advan- 
tages of  Hereditary  Rank,  8vo. — 22. 
A  second  Address  to  ditto. — 23.  On 
the  Trade  of  India,  by  P.  O'Hara.— 
24.  Ecce  Iterum.  —  25.  Letter  to 
Lords  and  Commons  in  Support  of  the 
Apprentice  Laws. — 26.  Early  Friends 
of  the  Prince  Regent. — 27.  Vindica- 
tion of  the  Reign  of  George  III. — 28. 
A  Letter  to  the  Prince  Regent,  on  the 
ultimate  Tendency  of  the  Roman  Ca- 
tholic Claims ;  containing  also  a  clear 
Statement  of  the  Operation  of  the  Sink- 
ing Fund.  &c.  —  29.  Buonaparte's 
Journey  to  Moscow,  in  the  Manner  of 
John  Gilpin,  1813. — 30.  Statement  to 
Earl  Bathurst,  on  the  Escape  of  Napo- 
leon from  Elba,  &c.— 31.  Letters  to 
Earl  Bathurst,  Messrs.  Abercromby, 
and  Morier. — 32.jAn  Answer  to  the  Ca- 
lumniators of  Louis  XVIII.,  1815. — 
33.  Political  Portraits  in  this  New 
JEra,  2  vols.  1814. — 34.  Supplement 
to  Political  Portraits. — 35.  France  as 
it  is,  not  Lady  Morgan's  France.— 36. 
On  Emigration  to  France. — 37.  On 
Agricultural  Distress.— 38. The  Toma- 
hawk, a  periodical,  published  daily  at 
2d.  during  the  session  of  1795.  Of 
this  work,  Mr.  Playfair  was  joint  pro- 


460 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


prietor  and  editor  with  the  late  much- 
esteemed  Dr.  Arnold.  Mr.  Playfair 
wrote  the  leading  article,  and  some  of 
our  living  dramatists  contributed  to- 
wards the  poetical  department  of  the 
Tomahawk. — 39.  Anticipation;  a  weekly 
paper,  which  was  for  some  time  ho- 
noured with  the  patronage  of  the  late 
Mr.  Windham.  It  was,  we  believe, 
published  about  the  year  1808,  and  did 
not  reach  more  than  twenty  or  thirty 
numbers. — 40.  Montefiore  on  the  Bank- 
rupt Laws. — 41.  European  Commerce, 
by  Jephson  Ody,  Esq.  These  two 
works,  though  published  under  the 
names  of  the  gentlemen  last  mentioned, 
were  written  by  Mr.  Playfair.  The 
above  list  is  very  imperfect ;  nor  is  it 
possible  to  render  it  otherwise.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that,  including  pam- 
phlets, Mr.  Playfair  was  the  author  of 
at  least  a  hundred  distinct  works.  Of 
the  whole  of  his  publications,  the  "  His- 
tory of  Jacobinism,"  and  the  "  Enquiry 
into  the  Causes  of  the  Decline  and  Fall 
of  wealthy  and  powerful  Nations,"  are 
perhaps  the  best ;  though  the  Statistical 
Breviary  and  Atlas  display  great  inge- 
nuity in  simplifying  statistical  details, 
by  means  of  geometrical  lines  and 
figures.  These  works  were  the  means  of 
introducing  Mr.  Playfair  to  the  friend- 
ship of  the  late  Marquis  of  Lansdown, 
and  several  distinguished,  members  of 
the  legislature.  The  notes  to  Adam 
Smith's  "  Wealth  of  Nations"  exhibit 
considerable  knowledge  of  political  eco- 
nomy. 

On  the  restoration  of  the  Bourbons. 
Mr.  Playfair  went  again  to  Paris ;  and 
there  conducted  Galignani's  English 
Newspaper,  until  driven  away  by  a  pro- 
secution for  some  insignificant  libel. 
From  that  time  he  existed  in  London 
by  essay-writing  and  translating.  His 
constitution,  however,  being  broken  up, 
and  his  means  having  become  precarious, 
anxiety  of  mind  completed  what  bodily 
indisposition  had  begun  ;  and  on  the 
llth  of  Feb.  1823,  he  died  in  Covent- 
Garden,  in  the  64th  year  of  his  age. 

In  private  life  Mr.  Playfair  was  in- 
offensive and  amiable ;  not  prepossess- 
ing in  bis  appearance  and  address,  but 
with  a  strong  and  decided  physiogno- 
my, like  that  of  his  late  brother.  With 
a  thoughtlessness  that  is  too  frequently 
allied  to  genius,  he  neglected  to  secure 
that  provision  for  his  family,  which, 
from  his  talents,  they  were  justified  to 
expect ;  and  although  he  laboured  ar- 
dently and  abundantly  for  his  country, 


yet  he  found  it  ungrateful,  and  was  left 
in  age  and  infirmity  to  regret  that  he 
had  neglected  his  own  interests  to  pro- 
mote those  of  the  public. 

He  has  left  a  widow  and  four  chil- 
dren, two  sons  and  two  daughters.  One 
of  his  sons  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  104th 
regiment,  who,  on  its  being  disbanded 
in  Canada,  turned  his  attention  to  me- 
chanics, and  superintended  the  con- 
struction of  a  saw-mill,  though  bred 
only  to  the  military  profession.  One  of 
Mr.  Playfair's  daughters  is  blind;  as 
the  child  of  a  person  whose  life  was 
devoted  to  the  service  of  the  British 
government,  she  has  strong  claims  on 
its  bounty,  and  we  trust  they  will  not 
be  overlooked. 

PORTMAN,  Edward  Berkeley, 
Esq.  M.P.  for  Dorsetshire,  Jan.  19th, 
at  Rome,  aged  51.  Tin's  family  is  of 
the  highest  antiquity,  being  descended 
from  Sir  Maurice  Berkeley,  son  of 
Maurice  Lord  Berkeley,  (19  Edw.  II.) 
the  immediate  descendant  from  Sir 
Robert  Fitzbarding,  first  Lord  Berke- 
ley, who  was  the  son  of  Harding,  son 
of  a  king  of  Denmark,  who  accom- 
panied Duke  William  from  Normandy, 
and  was  with  him  at  the  battle  of 
Hastings,  when  the  death  of  Harold 
decided  the  fate  of  the  kingdom  in 
favour  of  the  Normans.  He  resided  at 
Bristol,  of  which  he  was  governor,  and 
possessed  great  estates  in  the  counties  of 
Somerset  and  Gloucester.  —  William 
Berkeley,  Esq.  of  Pylle,  co.  Somerset, 
great  grandfather  of  the  late  Mr.  Port- 
man,  first  added  to  his  original  name  of 
Berkeley,  the  name  and  arms  of  Port- 
man,  by  act  of  parliament,  9  Geo.  II. 
on  succeeding  to  the  Portman  estates, 
in  consequence  of  the  will  of  Sir  Wm. 
Portman,  K.B.  who  died  in  1689-90. 
—  The  late  Mr.  Portman  was  the 
second  son  of  Henry  Wm.  Portman, 
Esq.  of  Bryanston,  co.  Dorset,  who 
died  Jan.  16,  1796,  aged  59.  His 
eldest  brother,  Henry  Berkeley  Port- 
man, M.  P.  for  Wells,  married  in  1793, 
Lucy  Elizabeth,  second  daughter  of 
Lord  Dormer,  and  died  March  22, 
1803,  without  issue;  when  the  late 
Mr.  Portman  succeeded  to  his  property 
in  the  West  of  England,  and  the  im- 
mense estates  in  St.  Mary-le-bone,  in 
which  parish,  Portman-square,  Bryan- 
ston-square,  Berkeley-street,  &c.  have 
been  named  after  himself,  or  the  place 
of  his  residence.  He  was  a  fellow 
commoner  of  St.  John's  College, 
Cambridge,  where  he  proceeded  B.  A- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    IttDEX    FOR    1823. 


4-61 


1792.  He  married,  Aug.  28,  1798, 
at  Walcot  church,  Bath,  Lucy,  second 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Whitby, 
of  Portland-place,  by  whom  he  had  a 
family.  He  served  the  office  of  sheriff 
for  Dorsetshire  in  1798.  He  was  first 
elected  M.P.  for  Boroughbridge  in 
1802  ;  and  in  1806,  was  chosen  repre- 
sentative for  the  county  of  Dorset.  — 
His  eldest  son  is  in  his  24th  year,  and 
has  been  unanimously  chosen  to  suc- 
ceed his  father  in  the  representation  of 
the  county  of  Dorset  in  parliament. 

PIUS  THE  SEVENTH,  Ber- 
nardi  Gregorio  Chiaramonti,  POPE,  20th 
August,  at  Rome,  aged  81. 

To  detail  the  life  of  any  Pope,  and 
€specially  of  a  Pope  who  lived  in  such 
times  as  those  in  which  Pius  the  7th 
held  the  papal  authority,  is  the  province 
of  the  historian,  not  of  the  biographer. 
Any  attempt  to  enter  upon  it  in  our 
narrow  limits  would  necessarily  en- 
gross a  space  that  ought  rather  to  be 
devoted  to  individuals  more  intimately 
connected  with  our  domestic  interests. 
We  must  therefore  content  ourselves 
with  a  very  brief  notice  on  the  subject. 

His  Holiness  was  descended  from 
ancient  and  noble  families.  At  sixteen 
years  of  age  he  entered  into  the  religious 
state  in  the  monastery  of  Benedictines, 
at  Cesena.  It  was  -in  this  retreat, 
amidst  the  daily  exercise  of  piety  and 
religion,  that  he  sought  to  establish  his 
soul's  health  by  the  practice  of  all  the 
Christian  virtues ;  thus  preparing  him- 
self for  the  fulfilment  of  those  high  and 
gracious  designs  which  Providence  had 
been  pleased  to  form  in  his  favour.  To 
those  virtues  he  united  a  singular  fond- 
ness for  study  and  great  application. 
At  the  monastery  attached  to  that  mag- 
nificent church,  which  has  been  so  lately 
destroyed  by  fire,  the  church  of  St. 
Paul,  at  Rome,  he  studied  philosophy, 
theology,  and  the  canon  law  ;  and 
speedily  afforded  signal  proofs  of  his 
great  attainments  in  those  excellent  and 
sublime  pursuits.  Nominated  profes- 
sor of  theology  at  Rome,  he  filled  that 
distinguished  chair  for  the  space  of  nine 
years,  and  his  virtues  and  reputation 
being,  by  that  time,  well  known  to 
Pius  VI.,  he  was,  by  that  Pope,  in- 
stalled, in  the  year  1782,  Bishop  of 
Tivoli,  and  in  1785,  promoted  to  the 
bishopric  of  Imola.  His  fidelity  to  the 
Church,  his  zeal  for  the  Catholic  re- 
ligion, his  piety  and  his  talents,  which 
had  thus,  successively  procured  for  him 


}he  bishoprics  of  Tivoli  and  Imola, 
were  now  so  established,  that  Pope 
Pius  VI.  created  him  a  cardinal.  It 
was  not  long  after  that  he  was  elected  to 
the  chair  of  St.  Peter,  and  the  character 
of  Supreme  Pontiff  afforded  him  a  wider 
sphere  for  the  exercise  of  his  piety,  and 
shed  a  brighter  lustre  over  his  attain- 
ments and  benevolence.  The  election  of 
Cardinal  Chiaramonti  took  place  on  the 
10th  of  March,  1800,  at  Venice  ;  his 
entry  into  Rome  was  on  the  3d  of  June 
following.  His  late  Holiness  carried 
with  him  to  his  new  and  splendid  dig- 
nity the  same  virtues  which  had  adorned 
his  private  career  ;  bearing  himself  with 
the  same  modesty,  humility,  piety, 
meekness,  and  compassion,  which  had, 
in  the  early  part  of  his  life,  rendered 
him  so  universally  beloved  and  respect- 
ed. When  Buonaparte  required  his 
Holiness  to  declare  his  hostility  to  Eng- 
land, and  to  influence  the  church  over 
which  he  presided  with  the  same  feel- 
ing of  enmity,  he  refused  to  become  a 
party  to  so  iniquitous  a  measure  ;  and, 
despising  the  threats  and  insults  which 
were  heaped  upon  liim  for  his  refusal, 
paid  the  penalty  of  his  conscientiousness 
by  suffering  the  spoliation  of  his  terri- 
tories, exile  from  his  capital,  imprison- 
ment, and  multiplied  indignities ;  for, 
in  1 809,  Napoleon  deprived  him  of  his 
power,  and  reduced  him  to  the  condition 
of  Bishop  of  Rome,  and  his  state  was 
decreed  a  part  of  the  French  territory. 
In  1814,  the  Pope  resumed  his  power, 
and  always  manifested  a  grateful  sense 
of  the  friendly  interference  of  England 
in  his  behalf,  which  had  the  effect  of 
restoring  him  to  his  dignity,  and  ulti- 
mately to  his  possessions. 


Q. 


QUIN,  Edward,  Esq.  at  Sheerness. 
Mr.  Quin  was  for  many  years  a  member 
of  the  Common  Council  for  Farringdon 
Without ;  he  afterwards  became  a  pro- 
prietor and  editor  of  the  morning  pape*^ 
called  "  The  Day,  which  has  since 
been  changed  into  "  The  New  Times." 
His  body  was  found  resting  upon  the 
wall  from  Sheerness  to  Queenborough. 
If  the  early  events  of  Mr.  Quin's  life 
could  be  acurately  detailed,  they  would 
present  a  singular  picture  of  vicissitude 
and  adventure.  He  was  a  man  of 
superior  eloquence,  and  of  very  at- 
tractive manners,  but  unfortunate  in 


462 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823- 


those   speculations  of   business    which 
require  application  as  well  as  genius. 


R. 


RELHAM,  the  Rev.  Richard, 
M.A.  F.R.S.  A.L.S.  March  28, 
aged  69.  Mr.  Relham  was  Rector  of 
Hemingby,  co.  Lincoln,  to  which  he 
was  presented  in  1791,  by  King's  Col- 
lege, Cambridge,  of  which  he  was  at 
that  time  Fellow.  He  was  formerly 
of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  B,A. 
1776,  M.A.  1779  ;  and  was  afterwards 
Conduct  of  King's  College.  His  clas- 
sical attainments  and  botanical  erudition 
were  of  a  very  superior  order.  He 
published  "  Fiord  Cantabrigiensis," 
8vo.  1785.  Supplement  I.  and  II.  to 
the  preceding,  1786,  1788;  Supple- 
ment III.  8vo.  1793,  2d  edition,  1802. 
"  Tacitus  de  Moribus  Germanorum  et 
de  Vita  Agricolae,"  8vo.  1809. 

RICHARDS,  the  Right  Hon.  Sir 
Richard,  the  Lord  Chief  Baron,  llth 
Nov.  at  his  house  in  Great  Ormond- 
street,  in  his  71st  year.  In  thq  whole 
circle  of  the  profession,  no  man  stood 
higher  in  private  estimation,  or  public 
respect,  than  the  late  Lord  Chief  Baron. 
As  a  lawyer  and  a  judge,  his  decisions, 
particularly  in  Exchequer  cases,  were 
sound,  and  evinced  considerable  acu- 
men. 

RIDOUT,  John  Gibbs,  M.D.  May 
23,  in  the  66th  year  of  his  age,  at  the 
Crescent,  Bridge-  street,  Blackfriars. 
Dr.  Ridout,  for  some  years  past,  had 
in  a  great  measure  retired  from  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he 
had  acquired  a  high  reputation  ;  but 
with  his  characteristic  benevolence  he 
has  been  actively  employed  in  assisting 
in  the  management  of  several  public 
institutions,  which  will  sensibly  feel 
the  loss  of  his  valuable  and  disinterested 
services.  Among  these  may  be  parti- 
cularly noticed  the  Society  of  Apothe- 
caries of  London,  of  whose  court  of 
assistants  Dr.  Ridout  was  a  iiseful 
member  ;  and  was  very  assiduous  in 
his  attendance  on  the  Committee  of 
Examiners  under  the  recent  act  of 
parliament,  which  is  so  calculated  to 
improve  the  regular  practice  of  medi- 
cine. With  the  purest  principles  and 
Integrity  of  character,  he  was  blessed 
with  a  singular  sweetness  of  temper, 
and  kindliness  of  disposition  ;  and 


possessed  social  qualities  of  the  most 
pleasing  description. 

ROUSE,  Mr.  Rowland,  June  20th, 
at  Market  Harborough,  in  his  84th 
year.  He  was  the  son  of  Mr.  Samuel 
Rouse,  draper,  of  Market  Harborough, 
by  Susannah,  daughter  of  William 
Rowland,  of  Pillerton  Hersey,  co. 
Warwick,  gent. 

The  worthy  but  unfortunate  father  of 
the  late  Mr.  Rouse  was  a  good  mathe- 
matician and  astronomer,  as  well  as 
an  ingenious  mechanic.  Mr.  Samuel 
Rouse  was  honoured  with  the  friend- 
ship and  correspondence  of  Mr.  Whis- 
ton,  Dr.  Long,  the  Rev.  Wm.  Ludlam, 
and  Dr.  Mason,  Woodwardian  Profes- 
sor ;  as  also  with  that  of  Mr.  Richard 
Dunthorne,  butler  of  Pembroke-hall, 
who  was  a  good  astronomer.  Mr.  R. 
and  Mr.  D.  became  acquainted,  by 
their  engaging,  at  the  same  period  (un- 
known to  each  other)  in  constructing 
tables  of  the  moon's  motions,  from  Sir 
Isaac  Newton's  theory.  These  tables 
were  published  at  Cambridge  by  Mr. 
Dunthorne,  in  1739.  The  great  engi- 
neer, Mr.  Smeaton,  noticed  Mr.  S. 
Rouse,  who  is  respectfully  mentioned 
in  papers  read  at  the  Royal  Society  in 
1759,  on  the  Natural  Powers  of  Water 
and  Wind.  He  also  was  the  first  per- 
son who  attempted  to  bring  the  bent- 
leaver  balance  into  use,  which  will 
appear  from  a  paper  read  at  the  Royal 
Society,  June  6,  1765,  as  published  by 
Mr.  Ludlam. 

Mr.  Rowland  Rouse  possessed  a  very 
strong  natural  understanding,  almost 
wholly  uncultivated,  except  in  his  pro- 
fessional habits  as  draper  and  auctioneer, 
in  which  latter  capacity  he  had  oppor- 
tunities of  collecting  occasionally  some 
curious  articles  of  antiquity  or  vertii, 
and  he  possessed  the  character  in  his 
neighbourhood  of  a  great  antiquary. 
He  had  also  a  strong  taste  for  the  study 
of  heraldry,  in  J  which,  under  many 
disadvantages,  he  made  some  progress, 
and  actually  compiled  an  immense 
volume  on  that  subject,  for  which  he 
expected  a  large  remuneration  from 
some  adventurous  bookseller,  but  (un- 
fortunately for  Mr.  R.)  such  adven- 
turer was  never  found.  There  is  a 
portrait  of  this  worthy  and  respectable 
man,  W.  Wright  pinxit  —  Woodthorpe 
sculp. 

ROXBURGH,  James  Norcliffe 
Innes  Ker,  fifth  Duke  and  Earl  of, 
Marquis  of  Beaumont  and  Cessford, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


463 


Earl  of  Kelso,  Viscount  Broxmouth, 
and  Baron  Ker  of  Cessford  and  Caver- 
ton,  a  baronet,  and  one  of  the  sixteen 
peers  for  Scotland,  July  19th,  at  Fleurs, 
near  Kelso,  aged  85.  His  Grace  was 
born  1738  ;  married,  first,  April  19, 
1769,  Mary,  sister  of  Sir  Cecil  Wray, 
of  Glentworth,  co.  Lincoln,  bart.  by 
Frances,  daughter  of  Fairfax  Norcliffe, 
of  Langston,  co.  York,  esq.  and  by 
her,  (who  died  July  20,  1807)  had  no 
issue  ;  and  secondly,  July  28,  1807, 
Harriet,  daughter  of  the  late  Benjamin 
Charlewood,  of  Windlesham,  esq.  and 
by  her  had  issue  the  present  duke,  born 
July  1816,  and  a  daughter,  born  and 
died  May  26,  1814.  His  original 
name  was  Innes,  and  he  derived  his 
descent  from  Margaret  Ker,  third 
daughter  of  Harry  Lord  Ker,  who 
married  Sir  James  Innes,  of  Innes, 
bart.  by  Jane,  daughter  of  James,  sixth 
Lord  Ross.  His  grace  claimed  the 
title  of  duke,  &c.  and  on  the  llth  of 
May,  1812,  the  House  of  Lords  unani- 
mously resolved  "  That  the  petitioner, 
Sir  James  Norcliffe  Innes  Ker,  bart. 
had  made  out  his  claim  to  the  titles, 
honours,  and  dignities,  &c.  as  stated 
in  his  petition." 

He  succeeded  William,  seventh  Baron 
Bellenden,  and  fourth  Duke,  who  died 
in  1805,  without  issue  ;  and  who  suc- 
ceeded John,  third  Duke,  so  generally 
known  to  the  literary  world  as  the 
nobleman  whose  taste  for  old  books  led 
to  the  foundation  of  the  club  which 
bears  his  name. 

His  remains  were  interred  in  the 
antient  family  vault  at  Bowden.  Be- 
tween twelve  and  one  o'clock  the  pro- 
cession moved  from  Fleurs.  The  body 
was  conveyed  in  a  hearse  drawn  by  six 
horses,  and  attended  by  all  the  circum- 
stances of  pomp  and  solemnity  befitting 
the  occasion.  The  hearse  was  followed 
by  the  carriages  of  the  family,  by  those  of 
the  principal  nobility  and  gentry  of  the 
country,  and  by  the  numerous  and  re- 
spectable tenantry  of  the  Roxburgh 
estates,  in  carriages  and  on  horseback. 
On  approaching  Kelso,  the  procession 
was  joined  by  the  members  of  the  dif- 
ferent trades,  and  by  many  other  in- 
habitants of  the  town,  all  dressed  in 
deep  mourning  ;  they  had  solicited  and 
obtained  permission  to  pay  that  mark  of 
respect,  and  they  preceded  the  hearse 
as  far  as  the  Tweed,  where  they  ranged 
to  the  right  and  left  on  the  bridge, 
forming  an  avenue  through  which  the 
carriages  and  horsemen  proceeded  to- 


wards the  place  of  interment.  Whilst 
the  procession  passed  through  Kelso, 
all  the  shops  were  shut,  the  bells  tolled 
at  intervals,  and  every  tribute  of  respect 
was  shown  on  the  part  of  the  inhabit- 
ants to  the  memory  of  the  venerable 
nobleman,  whose  worth  they  duly  ap- 
preciated, and  whose  loss  will  be 
severely  felt  by  them,  as  well  as  by 
the  wide  circle  to  which  his  influence 
extended,  and  where  his  virtues  were 
known. 


ST.  GERMAINS,  the  Rt.  Hon. 
John  Craggs'Elliot,  Earl  of;  17th  Nov. 
in  his  63rd  year.  His  lordship  suc- 
ceeded his  father  in  1804.  He  was 
twice  married,  but  having  no  children, 
the  title  devolves  upon  his  brother,  the 
Hon.  Win.  Elliot. 

SALISBURY,  the  most  Noble 
James  Cecil,  Marquis  and  Earl  of,  in 
the  county  of  Wilts,  Viscount  Cran- 
bourne,  in  the  county  of  Dorset,  Baron 
Cecil,  of  Essingdon,  in  the  county  of 
Rutland,  K.G.,  Joint  Postmaster- Gen- 
eral, Lord  Lieutenant  of  the  county  of 
Hertford,  High  Steward  of  Hertford, 
LL.D.  F.R.S.  &c.  June  13,  at  Theo- 
balds, in  the  75th  year  of  his  age. 

This  highly-respected  and  venerable 
nobleman  was  lineally  descended  from 
that  illustrious  statesman,  William  Cecil, 
Lord  High  Treasurer  of  England,  who, 
for  his  eminent  services,  was  created 
by  patent  Baron  of  Burleigh,  Feb.  25, 
1570-1  ;  an  honour  at  that  time  never 
bestowed  without  uncommon  merit. 
The  youngest  son  of  this  able  a'nd  up- 
right minister,  Robert  Cecil,  was,  on 
the  4th  of  May,  1605,  (the  very  day  on 
which  his  elder  brother  Thomas  was 
advanced  to  the  Earldom  of  Exeter,) 
created  Earl  of  Salisbury,  and  with  pre- 
cedence above  him,  which  is  said  to 
have  occasioned,  for  some  time,  great 
heart-burnings  between  the  brothers. 

Through  a  long  line  of  illustrious  an- 
cestors descended  the  late  marquis,  who 
was  born  on  the  4th  Sept.  1748,  being 
the  only  son  of  James,  the  6th  Earl  of 
Salisbury,by  Elizabeth,  the  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  Edward  Keet,  of  the  city  of 
Canterbury.  In  1774,  he  was  elected  a 
burgess  in  parliament  for  the  borough 
of  Bedwin.  On  March  1,  1771,  and 
during  the  life  of  his  father,  he  was 
constituted  Lord  Lieutenant  and  Gustos 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  J823. 


Rotulorum  of  the    county  of    Hert- 
ford, and  was  sworn  of  his  Majesty's 
most  honourable  Privy  Council.      On 
March  13,  1773,  he  was  appointed  to 
the  command  of  the  Hertfordshire  Regi- 
ment of  MiHtia;  and  on   July  the  7th 
following  was  created  D.  C.  L.  by  the 
University  of  Oxford.    On  the  2nd  Dec. 
in  the  same  year,  he  married  Lady  Emily 
Mary,  the  second    daughter  of  Wills, 
first  Marquis  of  Downshire,  by  whom 
he  had  issue  Lady  Georgiana  Charlotte 
Augusta,  born  March  20,  1786  ;  Lady 
Emily,  born  July   13,  1719,  and  who 
married  George  Thomas  John,   Earl  of 
Westmeath ;  and  James  Mordaunt  Wil- 
liam, born  April  17,1791,  who  on  Feb. 2, 
1821,  married  Frances  Mary,  the  only 
daughter  and  sole  heiress  of  Bamber 
Gascoyne,  esq.  and  niece  to  Isaac  Gas- 
coyne,  esq.  of  Roby  Hall,  Lancashire, 
a  general  in  the  army,  and  M.  P.  for  the 
town  of  Liverpool.      His  lordship  suc- 
ceeded his  father  in  his  honours  Sept  1 9, 
1780,  and  on  Dec.  20,  1783,  was  ap- 
pointed Lord  Chamberlain  of  his  Ma- 
jesty's household,  which  honourable  and 
distinguished  station    he    retained  till 
1804.      On  Aug.  18,  1789,  he  was  ad- 
vanced to  the  title  of  Marquis  of  Salis- 
bury; and  on  the  1 4th  of  June  1793, 
was  elected  a  knight  companion  of  the 
most  noble  order  of  the  Garter.      On 
June  13,   18OO,   the  volunteers  of  the 
county  of  Herts,  to  the  amount  of  1500, 
were  reviewed  in  his  lordship's  park  at 
Hatfield  by  his  Majesty,  who  was  ac- 
companied  by    the    Queen,   the  royal 
family,   many  of  the    great  officers  of 
state,  and  the    principal   nobility   and 
gentry  of  the  county.     After  the  review 
was  ended,  the   whole   company  were 
sumptuously  entertained  by  the  mar- 
quis,    The  following  was  the  return  of 
the  provisions  provided  on  the  occasion : 
80  hams  and  as  many  rounds  of  beef,  10O 
joints  of  veal,  100  legs  of  lamb,  100 
tongues,  100  meat-pies,  25  edge-bones 
of  beef,  25  rumps  of  beef,  roasted,  100 
joints  of  mutton,  25  briskets,  71  dishes 
of  other  roast  beef,  100  gooseberry  pies ; 
besides  very  sumptuous  covers  at  the 
tables  of  the   King,  the   cabinet  min- 
isters, &c.   For  the  country  people  there 
were  dressed  at  the  Salisbury  Arms,  three 
bullocks,  sixteen  sheep,  and  twenty-five 
lambs.      The  expence  was  estimated  at 
upwards  of  3000/.     In  1816,  his  lord- 
ship was   appointed  joint  post-master- 
general.    He  was  also  high  steward  of 
the  borough  of  Hertford ;  F.  R.  S.  and 
F.  A.  S.  At  the  coronation  of  his  present 


Majesty,  the  marquis  had  the  honour  of 
carrying  the  staff  of  St.  Edward. 

His  lordship  died  at  his  seat  at  Theo- 
balds, near  Hatfield,  Herts,  on  the  13th 
of  June,  1823,  irMhe  75th  year  of  his 
age.  The  high  and  deserved  estimation 
in  which  he  was  universally  held  will 
occasion  his  death  to  be  lamented  as  an 
irreparable  loss  in  the  extensive  circle 
of  his  acquaintance.  In  every  relation 
of  life  he  was  most  exemplary ;  but  it 
was  in  private,  and  as  a  husband,  father, 
andjnaster,  that  his  character  shone  with 
the  brightest  lustre.  Amiable  in  his 
manners,  and  condescending  in  his  be- 
haviour, he  was  beloved  and  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him ;  to  his  humanity 
the  distressed  never  appealed  in  vain ; 
and  to  his  kind  and  affectionate  atten- 
tions numbers  have  been  indebted  for 
consolation  and  support. 

His  lordship  was  possessed  of  an  in- 
nocent playfulness  of  manners,  and 
from  the  accuracy  of  his  memory,  was 
particularly  happy  in  his  descriptions 
of  characters,  and  in  his  relation  of 
anecdotes  and  events.  His  wit  was 
generally  good-humoured;  yet,  when 
occasion  offered,  or  inclination  prompt- 
ed, could  be  sarcastic  and  keen. 

In  his  political  capacity  he  was  firmly 
attached  to  the  constitution  of  his  coun- 
try, and  a  zealous  friend  and  supporter 
of  the   Protestant  establishment.     He 
was  not,  however,  remarkable  for  any 
active  part  in  parliament,    though  he 
sometimes  appeared  in  the  House  of 
Lords  on  particular  questions,  when  his 
name  was  almost  invariably  found  in 
the   ministerial    majorities.     With   the 
late  King  he  was  a  decided  favourite  : 
and  the  strong  attachment  of  the  mo- 
narch to  the  servant  was  fully  evinced 
by  the  long  period  during   which  he 
presided  over  his  Majesty's  household. 
During  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
year  his  lordship  resided  at  his  roman- 
tic and  favourite  residence  the  Cassino, 
at  Aldeburgh,  on  the  coast  of  Suffolk, 
and  enlivened  the  place  by  his  constant 
hospitalities.   By  the  poorer  inhabitants, 
who,    during  his   lordship's  occasional 
residence,  liberally  participated  in  the 
bounties  which  Providence  had  com- 
mitted to  his  trust  and  disposal,  his  loss 
will  be  severely  felt.   During  the  winter 
of  1822-3,  in  order  to  render  their  hard- 
ships more  tolerable  in  the  then  depress- 
ed state  of  things,   there  was  scarcely  a 
family  in  humble  circumstances  to  which 
his  beneficent  hand  did  not  administer 
comfort,  by  supplying  them  with  food 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


4-65 


and  raiment  according  to  their  several 
necessities. 

SANDFORD,  William,  Esq., 
Jan.  26,  at  Rainbow  Hill,  Worcester, 
after  a  long  illness,  which  he  sustained 
with  exemplary  fortitude  and  resigna- 
tion, aged  6'4.  He  was  born  at  Shrews- 
bury, where  his  father,  we  believe,  was 
a  medical  professor.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  a  pupil  of  John  Hunter; 
settling  at  Worcester  lie  was  twenty- 
seven  years  of  his  life  one  of  the 
surgeons  of  the  Worcester  Infirmary. 
He  was  the  author  of  a  little  work  "  On 
the  medicinal  Effects  of  Wine  and  Spi- 
rits," which  was  well  spoken  of  in  the 
Critical  Review  for  Feb.  1800. 

In  the  discharge  of  his  professional  du- 
ties, both  in  public  and  in  private  prac- 
tice, he  was  remarkable  for  promptitude 
of  decision  and  readiness  of  resource,  for 
a  cheerful  and  encouraging  deportment, 
and  the  most  humane  attention,  to  his 
patients.  To  his  relations  and  connec- 
tions he  was  kind  and  generous,  and  in 
his  dealings  candid  and  sincere.  He  was 
an  enemy  to  all  species  of  nursery  feel- 
ing ;  and  probably  saved  many  a  life  by 
his  steady  opposition  to  the  deleterious 
practices  of  the  nurses. 

This  amiable  gentleman  married  Miss 
Burney,  niece  of  the  celebrated  Dr. 
Burney,  Mus.D.,  who  survives  him. 

SHARMAN,  Mr. John,  of  Dawson 
street,  London,  Dec.  21,  at  Rathmines, 
in  Ireland,  aged  75.  Mr.  Sharman 
was  an  eminent  astronomer  and  geog- 
rapher. His  talents  as  a  composer  will  be 
admitted  by  all  judges  of  melody,who  re- 
member tliat  we  are  indebted  to  him  lor 
the  sublime  music  of  the  106th  Pslam. 

SHEPHARD,  John,  Esq., of  Ken- 
sington Square,  and  of  Doctors'  Com- 
mons, Deputy- Registrar  of  the  diocese 
of  London,  July  9,  at  Brighton,  after  a 
lingering  illness,  in  the  68th  year  of  his 
age.  He  was  buried  on  the  18th  in  his 
family  vault  in  Kensington  church-yard. 
During  his  long  and  well-spent  life  he 
maintained  an  uniform  and  dignified  de- 
portment, tempered  by  the  politeness  and 
urbanity  of  a  gentleman.  He  was  ne- 
ver so  much  absorbed  in  the  graver 
duties  of  his  public  and  professional 
concerns,  as  either  to  preclude  facility 
of  access,  or  to  deprive  his  friends  of  the 
comforts  of  his  advice  and  experience ; 
and  while  he  adhered  correctly  to  the 
requisite  precisions  of  his  profession,  he 
was  ever  mindful  of  the  interests  which 
they  were  intended  to  protect :  he  filled 
the  office  of  Deputy  Registrar  for  eigh- 

VOL.    VIII. 


teen  years  past,  with  the  entire  approbal 
tion  of  his  superiors,  and  to  the  genera, 
satisfaction  of  his  professional  brethren 
and  of  the  public. 

In  the  domestic  circle  of  his  family 
and  friends,  no  man  more  happily  blend- 
ed correctness  of  principle,  sentiment, 
and  example,  with  the  liberalities  and 
affections  of  social  life ;  or  better  under- 
stood and  practised  those  amenities 
which  shine  with  increased  lustre  in 
minds  of  high  attainments :  he  enter- 
tained the  purest  sentiments  of  religion, 
freed  alike  from  gloom  or  doubt ;  at  the 
saino  time  no  one  was  ever  more  divest- 
ed of  its  outward  display  :  his  morality 
was  founded  on  the  basis  of  divine  truth, 
and  his  final  hope  on  the  consolation  of 
eternal  peace.  His  regards  were  neither 
shaken  by  any  vicissitudes  of  fortune  or 
of  temper,  nor  by  the  frailties  of  caprice : 
—  and  the  more  intimate  affections,  the 
best  gift  of  our  nature,  were  largely  ex- 
emplified in  his  heart  and  disposition, 
which  deeply  cherished  the  blessings  of 
conjugal  and  parental  love.  In  the 
hours  of  his  retirement  from  business, 
he  found  ample  resources  in  the  advan- 
tages of  a  liberal  education,  and  of  the 
subsequent  pursuits  of  deeper  studies. 
He  cultivated  a  love  of  literature  for 
its  own  sake  ;  and  his  conversation,  al- 
ways animated,  cheerful,  and  interest- 
ing to  his  hearers,  was  replete  with 
information,  delivered  with  classical 
accuracy,  and  seasoned  by  the  happiest 
references  to  the  best  writers  of  modern 
times.  As  Iris  integrity  was  unshaken, 
so  his  judgment  and  self-possession 
were  mature  and  invariable ;  arid  these 
estimable  qualities  were  his  constant 
companions  to  his  last  moments :  and 
even  when  his  body  was  gradually  sink- 
ing out  of  life,  they  helped  to  support 
his  soul  in  tranquillity,  and  enabled  him, 
with  a  pious  and  calm  joy,  to  breathe 
the  peace  of  his  departing  spirit  over 
those  who  received  the  tender  signs 
of  his  last  affections.  Truly  may 
his  sorrowing  relatives  and  friends  de- 
clare, "  that  he  lived  beloved,  and  died 
lamented." 

SIDNEY,  Mr.  George  ;  aged  53. 
Mr.  Sidney  was  an  eminent  printer  of 
Northumberland- Street,  Strand  ;  and 
for  many  years  an  active,  useful,  and 
industrious  man,  who  was  distinguished 
by  liberality  and  integrity  in  all  his 
transactions.  An  attack  of  epilepsy  oc- 
casioned him  to  seek  relief  at  Chelten- 
ham and  Malvern  ;  but  at  tLe  latter 
place  a  second  attack  terminated  his  lifV. 


466 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


SMITH,  Frederic;  at  Croydon, 
Mr.  Smith  was  a  respectable  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends.  He  was 
long  regarded  as  a  man  of  extensive 
information  ;  and  to  him  may  be  mainly 
attributed  the  interest  which  has  so  long 
been  excited  on  the  subject  of  prison- 
discipline  ;  with  him,  and  a  few  other 
highly-respectable  characters,  this  in- 
quiry originated.  He  possessed  con- 
siderable literary  acquirements,  great 
liberality,  and  unbounded  benevolence. 
His  death,  in  the  prime  of  life,  may  be 
regarded  as  a  national  loss,  though  his 
useful  acts  were  performed  with  so  little 
ostentation,  that  his  name  was  unknown 
to  the  public  at  large.  He  was  the 
worthy  co-labourer  of  the  Fosters,  the 
Aliens,  the  Foxes,  and  the  Frys,  who 
honour  at  once  their  religious  profession 
and  country. 

SMITH,  Thomas,  Esq.  Alderman 
of  London  ;  April  18th,  at  Brighton; 
aged  77.  He  was  for  many  years  an 
eminent  wine-merchant  in  Bridge-street, 
Blackfriars  ;  and  after  having  .  been  a 
representative  in  Common  Council  for 
Farringdon  Within,  was  elected  Alder- 
man of  that  ward  September  28,  1 802  ; 
Sheriff  of  London  1805 ;  and  Lord 
Mayor  in  1809,  which  offices  he  served 
with  great  respectability.  He  was  a  good 
magistrate,  and  a  pleasant  companion. 
Though  far  advanced  in  years  he  was 
till  very  lately  cheerful  and  active, 
dividing  the  time  between  his  oflicial 
duties  in  London  and  the  agreeable 
relaxations  of  Brighton,  which  he  en- 
joyed in  the  society  of  a  numerous  and 
respectable  circle  of  friends,  strongly 
attached  to  him  for  his  warmth  of 
friendship,  strict  integrity,  and  general 
worth,  to  the  close  of  his  mortal  exist- 
tence.  He  had  fulfilled  his  magisterial 
duties  in  town  within  the  last  three 
weeks ;  and  after  attending  his  Rota 
at  the  Guildhall  Sessions,  he  retired  to 
Brighton  with  a  cold  and  fever,  which' 
terminated  in  death. 

SMIJTH,  Sir  William,  baronet; 
May  1st,  at  his  seat  Hill  Hall,  Essex,  in 
his  78th  year.  He  was  eldest  son  of  the 
Rev.  Sir  William  Smijth,  by  Abigail, 
daughter  of  Andrew  Wood,  Esq.  of 
Shrewsbury;  was  born  on  April  23,1746; 
succeeded  his  father,  who  was  rector  of 
Stapleford  Tawney,  January  25,  1777  ; 
and  on  March  22,  1779,  married  Anne, 
daughter  of  John  Wyndham  Bowyer,  of 
Waghen,  county  of  York/Esq.  by  whom 
(who  died  Dec.  20,  1815)  he  has  left 
issue  four  sons:  1.  Sir  Thomas,  eldest 


surviving  son  and  heir;  2.  Thomas; 
3.  John,  Capt.  R.  N.  ;  and  4.  Edward, 
Vicar  of  Camberwell ;  and  one  daugh- 
ter, Caroline,  married  to  the  eldest  son 
of  Sir  William  De  Crespigny,  Bart. 

Sir  William  Smijth  entered  into  the 
army  early  in  life,  having  had  a  com- 
pany for  some  years  in  his  Majesty's 
40th  regiment  foot,  which  service  he 
left  on  being  offered  a  majority  in  the 
WTest  Essex  Militia  ;  and  on  the  death 
of  William  Henry  Earl  of  Rochford. 
K.  G.  was  appointed,  by  John,  third 
Earl  of  Waldegrave,  then  Lord  Lieut, 
of  Essex,  to  the  colonelcy  of  the  same 
regiment,  on  Nov.  7,  1781,  which  he 
afterwards  continued  to  hold,  being  at 
the  period  of  his  decease  the  senior 
Colonel  in  that  service.  He  was  also, 
on  the  death  of  Bamber  Gascoyne,  Esq. 
elected  a  Verdurer  of  Waltham  Forest, 
November  21,  1791  ;  and  Lieutenant 
of  the  same  August  5,  1811,  when  he 
resigned  the  Verdurership. 

The  family  of  Smijth  are  descended 
from  Sir  Roger  de  Clarendon,  natural 
son  of  Edward  the  Black  Prince,  and 
are  of  the  highest  antiquity,  whereof  was 
John  Smijth,  High  Sheriff  of  Essex  and 
Herts,  SO  Henry  VIII.  who  was  father 
to  the  celebrated  Sir  Thomas  Smijth, 
born  at  Saffron  Walderi,  28th  March, 
1514,  M.  P.  for  Essex,  in  the  13th  and 
14th  Parliaments  of  Elizabeth  ;  in  1548 
made  Secretary  of  State,  and  Chancellor 
of  the  Order  of  the  Garter ;  for  more 
detailed  particulars  of  whom  see  his 
life  by  John  Strype,  in  the  "Biographia 
Britannica,"  and  a  good  portrait  of  him 
in  Ogborne's  History  of  Essex.  He 
died  12th  August  1577,  and  was  buried 
at  Theydon  Mount,  where  also  the 
remains  of  the  nine  baronets  of  this 
family  have  been  subsequently  interred. 

SOWERBY,  James,  esq.  F.  L.  S. 
M.  G.  S.  ;  October  25,  1822;  at  his 
house,  Mead's  Place,  near  the  Asylum, 
Lambeth,  after  an  illness  of  nearly  four 
months,  in  his  66th  year. 

This  ingenious  artist  and  naturalist 
was  originally  a  teacher  of  drawing,  but 
having  devoted  himself  chiefly  to  the 
delineating  of  plants,  he  became  noticed 
by  some  of  our  principal  botanists,  par- 
ticularly Sir  James  Edward  Smith,  the 
president  of  the  Linnean  Society,  who 
employed  him  to  illustrate  his  works. 
Thus  encouraged,  Mr.  Sovverby  attained 
an  extensive  knowledge  of  natural  his- 
tory, in  which  he  made  such  progress  as 
to  have  collected  a  large  museum,  in  the 
us?  of  which  he  was  very  liberal. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR  1823. 


4-67 


His  publications  were:  "A  Botanical 
Drawing  Book,  or  an  easy  Introduction 
to  Drawing  Flowers  according  to 
Nature,"  1789,  4to.  ;  2d  edit.  1791  ; 
"The  Florist's  Delight;  containing 
coloured  Figures  with  the  Botanical 
Description,"  1791,  fol.;  "  English 
Fungi,  with  plates,"  1796,  fol.;  "British 
Mineralogy,  or  coloured  Figures  with 
Descriptions  to  elucidate  the  Mineralogy 
of  Great  Britain,"  1803,  8vo.  ;  "De~ 
scription  of  Models  to  explain  Crystal- 
lography," 1805,  8vo.  ;  "  English 
Botany,"  8vo.  He  also  contributed 
some  papers  to  the  Transactions  of  the 
Linnean  Society. 

STEWART,  John;  August  6,  at 
Perth,  aged  95.  He  was  a  native  of 
Rannoch,  and  supposed  to  be  amongst 
the  oldest  pensioners  in  Britain,  having 
received  a  pension  65  years,  under  the 
reign  of  three  successive  kings.  He 
enlisted  in  the  42d  regiment, was»wound  - 
ed  at  the  battle  of  Ticonderago,  in 
the  first  American  war,  and  was  dis- 
charged at  Albany,  on  the  16th  October 
1758.  Ever  since  that  time  he  has  re- 
sided at  Perth,  where  he  long  carried 
on  business.  Being  of  a  penurious  dis- 
position he  accumulated  a  large  fortune, 
which  now  descends  to  one  who  has 
long  been  distinguished  for  his  public 
and  private  virtues. 

SYKES,  Sir  Mark  Mastorman, 
Bart,  of  Sledmere  House,  and  «f  Set- 
trington,  county  York  ;  February  16, 
at  Weymouth,  on  his  way  to  London, 
aged  52.  He  was  son  of  Rev.  Sir 
Christopher  Sykes,  D.  C.  L,  and  second 
baronet,  by  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
William  Tatton,  of  Whiteshaw,  county 
Chester,  Esq.  (by  Hester,  daughter  of 
J.  Egerton,  of  Tattoa  IDark,  county 
Chester,  Esq.  which  Hester  was  heiress, 
1780,  of  Samuel  Egerton,  Esq.  her 
brother);  was  born  August  20,  1771, 
married,  1st.  November  11,  1795, 
Henrietta,  daughter  and  heiress  of 
Henry  Masterman,  Esq.  of  Settrington, 
county  York,  and  by  her,  who  died  in 
July  1813,  had  no  issue.  He  married, 
i?dly,  August  2,  1814,  Mary  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  William  Egerton,  Esq. 
and  sister  of  Wilbraham  Tatton,  Esq. 
of  Tatton  Park.  In  1795  he  served 
the  office  of  high  sheriff  of  the  county  of 
York,  and  on  the  death  cf  his  father, 
September  1801,  he  succeeded  to  the 
title  and  estates. 

In  1 807  he  was  elected  representative 
in  parliament  for  the  city  of  York,  after 
a  severe  contest ;  he  was  again  elected 


iri  1812,  without  opposition,  and  re- 
turned a  third  time,  after  a  contest,  in 
1813.  He  retired  from  public  life  in 
1820,  on  account  of  ill  health,  to  the 
great  regret  of  his  constituents. 

Sir  Mark  was  a  bibliomaniac  of  the 
first  class,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Roxburgh  club.  Some  of  his  treasures 
are  thus  noticed  by  Mr.  Dibdin,  in  his 
"  Decameron." 

"  Sledmere,  the  elegant  and  hospita- 
ble residence  of  Sir  Mark  Sykes,  is 
situate  in  the  East  Riding  of  Yorkshire, 
about  18  miles  from  that  most  lovely  of 
all  lovely  minsters,  ycleped  Beverley. 

"  Sledmere  is  a  shew-house  ;  built  of 
stone  —  capacious,  and  well  contrived. 
The  architecture  is  a  specimen  of  the 
taste  of  Sir  Mark's  father  ;  and  it  has, 
upon  the  whole,  an  air  of  classical  ele- 
gance. The  library  is  100  feet  in  length, 
and  one  of  the  finest  rooms  in  the  king- 
dom. Here  repose  all  the  Editiones 
principes  of  Sir  Mark ;  and  among  them 
the  first  Livy  upon  vellum.  Here  too 
are  seen  his  history  and  topography,  and 
voyages  and  travels,  mostly  upon  large 
paper  ;  while  below  stairs,  in  Sir 
Mark's  own  particular  department,  and 
by  the  side  of  a  book-case  which  con- 
tains some  of  the  very  rarest  old  Eng- 
lish poetry  in  our  language,  are  to  be 
found  his  beautiful  Hollars  and  match- 
less Fai  thorn  es." 

The  high  estimation  in  which  Sir 
Mark  was  justly  and  universally  held, 
will  occasion  his  death  to  be  lamented 
as  a  great  public  loss.  In  his  political 
capacity  he  was  strongly  attached  to  the 
constitution  of  his  country  as  by  law 
established,  and  a  firm  friend  and  zea- 
lous supporter  of  the  protestant  religion. 
But  it  was  in  private  life  that  his  cha- 
racter shone  with  the  greatest  lustre  ; 
blessed  with  a  princely  fortune,  he  had 
the  means  as  well  as  the  inclination  to 
benefit  his  fellow  creatures :  to  him  the 
distressed  never  appealed  in  vain ;  his 
purse  was  always  open  to  the  calls  of 
humanity  ;  his  benevolence  was  exer- 
cised with  the  greatest  delicacy,  being 
fearful  of  hurting  the  feelings  of  the 
objects  of  his  bounty. 

By  his  second  wife  he  had  no  issue,, 
so  that  his  next  brother,  Mr.  (now  S'r 
Tatton  Sykes,  succeeds  him. 


Talbot,  the   Rev.    Cnarles,    B.    D. 
Dean  of  Salisbury,    Rector  of  Wim- 
bourne,    All    Saints  and    St.    Giles's, 
HH  2 


468 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX  FOR   1823. 


.Dorset,  and  Rector  of  Crickhowell, 
county  Brecon;  February  28.  A  few 
days  previous  to  his  death,  after  amusing 
himself  in  his  garden,  he  retired  to  his 
drawing-room,  and  seated  himself  on  a 
sofa,  when  one  of  his  children  enquired 
of  him  if  he  had  finished?  "  Yes,"  re- 
plied the  Dean,  "  I  have  done  my 
work  !"  and  immediately  fell  in  a  fit  of 
apoplexy,  from  which  he  never  suffi- 
ciently recovered  to  speak  again.  He 
was  youngest  son  of  the  late  Hon.  and 
Rev.  Dr.  Talbot.  In  1794  he  was  pre- 
sented by  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury  to 
the  rectory  of  Wimbourne,  All  Saints 
and  St.  Giles,  Dorset;  in  1809  he  was 
elected  to  the  Deanery  of  Salisbury, 
and  in  the  next  year  presented  by  his 
Grace  the  Duke  of  Beaufort  to  the 
rectory  of  Crickhowell.  He  was  of 
Christ  Church,  Oxford,  where  he  pro- 
ceeded M.  A.  January  14,  1794,  B.  D. 
Grand  Compounder,  April  30,  1801. 
His  remains  were  interred  at  St.  Giles's, 
Wimbourne,  and  were  followed  to  the 
grave  by  three  of  his  sons,  George 
Talbot,  Esq.  brother  of  the  deceased, 
his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Beaufort,  Lord 
William  Somerset,  Lord  John  Somerset, 
Lord  Ashley,  H.  C.  Sturt,  Esq.,  and 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Thompson,  curate  of  the 
deceased.  The  funeral  service  was  read 
in  a  most  impressive  manner  by  the 
Rev.  H.  Donne,  vicar  of  Cranbourne. 
Nearly  the  whole  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  parish  of  St.  Giles's  attended  the 
funeral,  anxious  to  testify  their  respect. 
The  bells  at  the  cathedral  and  Saint 
Thomas's  church,  in  Salisbury,  tolled 
great  part  of  the  day.  He  married, 
June  27,  1796,  Lady  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  fifth  Duke  of  Beaufort, 
and  sister  of  the  present  Duke  ;  whom 
he  has  left,  with  thirteen  children,  to 
bewail  their  loss. 

TAYLOR,  Mrs.,  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Taylor,  the  Platonist;  April  25th;  in 
the.  ,3Qtji  year  of  her  age.  Mrs.  Taylor, 
for -her  exceeding  fidelity  and  affection 
to  her  husband;  for  her  maternal  tender- 
ness and  assiduous  endeavours  to  form 
the  mind  of  her  clFspring  to  the  greatest 
moral  excellence ;  for  her  liberality, 
which  if  her  circumstances  had  permit- 
ted, would  have  been  magnificent  f  and 
for  her  many  other  admirable  qualities, 
was  a  woman  of  the  rarest  occurrence. 
She  died  from  a  preternatural  enlarge- 
ment of  the  liver,  after  a  long  and  very 
painful  illness,  which  she  bore  with 
great  resignation  and  patience. 

THORNTON,  Colonel  Thomas,  at 


Paris.  Colonel  Thornton  was  formerly 
Lieut. -Colonel  of  the  West  York  Mili- 
tia ;  Prince  de  Chambord,  and  Marquis 
de  Pont ;  the  first  sportsman  of  his  day 
in  point  of  science,  and  one  of  the 
most  convivial  companions  of  the  fes- 
tive board  that  ever  drained  a  bowl  to 
Bacchus.  During  the  latter  years  of  his 
life  he  resided  entirely  at  Paris,  where 
he  established  a  weekly  dinner  party, 
under  the  name  of  "  The  Falconer's 
Club."  For  some  months  his  health 
was  visibly  on  the  decline,  yet  he  would 
lie  in  bed  all  day,  rise  at  five  to  go  to  the 
club,  sing  the  best  songs  and  tell  the 
best  stories  of  any  of  the  members. 

He  was  the  son  of  a  very  respectable 
gentleman,  who,  in  the  rebellion  of 
1745,  raised  a  company  of  volunteers  in 
the  defence  of  Government,  and  com- 
manded them  himself.  Being  afterwards 
introduced  with  his  lady,  who  was  re- 
markable for  her  beauty,  to  George  the 
Second,  the  monarch  paid  him  many 
compliments  for  his  spirit  and  loyalty, 
adding  these  words  :  "  But  till  I  saw 
this  lady  I  knew  not  the  real  value  of 
your  services."  The  Colonel  was  born 
in  London,  and  educated  at  the  Charter- 
house school,  after  which  he  was  sent  to 
the  University  of  Glasgow.  On  coming 
into  the  possession  of  his  estate  of 
Thornville  Royal,  he  distinguished  him- 
self as  a  keen  sportsman,  and  among 
other  peculiarities  he  revived  falconry 
on  a  very  extended  scale.  When  the 
peace  of  Amiens  took  place  he  went  to 
France  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the 
state  of  sporting  in  that  country.  In  his 
publications  he  was  materially  assisted 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Martyn.  Under  the 
Colonel's  name  appeared  : 

"  A  Sporting  Tour  through  the  North 
of  England  and  the  Highlands  of  Scot- 
land," 1804,  4to.  ;  "  A  Sporting  Tour 
through  France,"  1806,  2  vols.  4to.; 
"  Vindication  of  Colonel  Thornton's 
Conduct  in  his  Transactions  with  Mr. 
Burton,"  1806,  8vo. 

His  will,  which  is  dated  Oct.  2.  1818, 
was  proved  on  the  26th  of  April.  The 
estates  are  entailed  on  his  daughter, 
Thorn villia-Rockingham  Thornton,  and 
her  heirs  male  and  female.  In  default, 
to  Andrew  Barlow,  esq.  in  like  manner, 

THORP,  Samuel,  esq.  December  26, 
1822,  at  Walthamstow,  aged  85.  Mr. 
Thorp  was  a  very  eminent  wholesale 
linen-draper;  and  for  more  than  50  years 
a  representative  for  the  Ward  of  Ald- 
gate,  in  the  Common  Council,  to  which 
office  he  was  eletced  in  1772.  lie  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX   FOR  1823. 


489 


father  of  the  corporation  ;  and  had  the 
honour  three  times  of  declining  the  Al- 
derman's gown,  and  of  having  procured 
the  return  of  H.C.  Combe  to  be  Alder- 
man of  the  Ward  of  Aldgate.  He  had 
the  happiness  of  seeing  his  son  succes- 
sively Sheriff,  Alderman,  Governor  of 
the  Irish  Society,  Lord  Mayor,  and  re- 
presentative in  Parliament  for  the  city 
of  London.  Mr.  Thorp  was  a  com- 
plete gentleman  of  the  old  school  ;  a 
.whig  in  the  genuine  sense  of  the  deno- 
mination ;  but  his  politics  were  never 
obtrusive ;  and  both  in  public  and  in  pri- 
vate life  his  urbanity  of  manners  secured 
him  universal  esteem  and  respect.  He 
spent  Christmas-day  with  his  family,  re- 
tired early,  and  was  next  morning  found 
in  his  bed  a  corpse.  His  increasing 
infirmities  induced  him  a  few  years  ago 
to  retire  from  the  Common  Council. 
In  his  latter  days  he  enjoyed  all  the 
happy  results  of  a  virtuous  character 
and  well  spent  life,  in  the  society  of  a 
prosperous  family,  and  in  the  affections 
of  his  neighbours  and  fellow  citizens. 

TOWNLEY,  Richard  Greaves,  esq. 
of  Fulbourn,  one  of  the  deputy  Lieute- 
nants and  Magistrates  of  the  county  of 
Cambridge;  Feb.  15;  at  the  Cork- 
street  hotel,  London,  aged  72.  Mr. 
Townley  was  not,  in  the  common  ac- 
ceptation of  the  term,  ' '  an  active  ma- 
gistrate," but  he  was  an  upright  one. 
In  his  political  life  he  was  a  whig  of  the 
old  school ;  and  such  was  his  nice  sense 
of  the  high  degree  of  liberty  the  people 
ought  to  enjoy,  that,  although  possessed 
of  extensive  property,  he  would  never 
even  ask  a  tenant  or  a  tradesman  with 
whom  he  dealt,  for  a  vote  in  the  support 
of  that  interest  to  which  he  himself  was 
attached.  Mr.  T.  is  succeeded  in  his 
principal  estates  by  his  eldest  son, 
Greaves  Townley,  Esq. 

TROY,  Dr.  John  Thomas,  the  ve- 
nerable and  learned  Titular  Archbishop 
of  Dublin,  May  10,  at  his  house  in 
Cavendish  Row.  He  was  a  Bishop 
forty-seven  years,  and  filled  the  metro- 
politan see  thirty-seven.  Doctor  Troy 
was  born  in  the  city  of  Dublin,  in  July, 
1739. — appointed  Bishop  in  December, 
1776,  consecrated  the  following  year, 
and  translated  to  the  archdiocese  of 
Dublin  in  1786.  He  possessed  a  sound 
understanding,  extensive  information, 
and  great  virtues.  This  whole  of  his 
long  life  was  exclusively  devoted  to  the 
duties  of  his  sacred  calling.  He  was 
aged  83  years  and  ten  months.  As  a 
mark  of  respect  to  his  memory,  it  was 


resolved  that  his  funeral  should  be  a  pub- 
lie  one. —  He  made  himself  conspicuous 
many  years  ago  by  a  prosecution  against 
the  proprietors  of  the  Antijacobin  Re- 
view, for  a  supposed  libel,  in  which  he 
gained  a  virdict,  with  50/.  damages.  He 
published  "  A  Pastoral  Letter,  address- 
ed to  the  Catholics  of  his  Diocese, 
8vo.  1793. 


VINCENT, George N.Esq.  Mar.18. 
By  this  gentleman's  death  many  of  our 
establishments  founded  for  charitable 
purposes,  for  promoting  habits  of  indus- 
try among  the  poorer  classes  of  society, 
and  instructing  them  in  their  moral  and 
religious  duties,  have  sustained  the  loss 
of  qne  of  their  most  useful  and  active 
members. 

W 

WADE,  the  Rev.  Nicholas,  A.  M. 
June  24.  1822;  at  Bombay,  of  an 
apoplectic  fit;  aged  56.  Mr.  Wade 
was  senior  Chaplain  at  Bombay  Presi- 
dency. He  was  in  his  place  in  the 
church  on  Sunday  morning;  in  the  after- 
noon, he  attended  at  the  burial-ground 
in  the  performance  of  his  duty ;  in  th« 
evening,  dined  with  his  family,  and  re- 
tired to  bed  at  his  usual  hour  of  nine ; 
on  Monday  morning,  at  half-past  six,  he 
was  a  corpse !  Mr.  Wade's  remains  were 
interred  in  the  chancel  of  St.  Thomas's 
church,  of  which  he  had  been  a  Chap- 
lain nearly  31  years,  attended  by  a  nu- 
merous and  respectable  concourse  of 
sorrowing  friends. 

WARD,  the  Rev.  William,  Mar.  7. 
at  Serampore,  in  the  East  Indies.  He 
was  ill  only  one  day,  and  the  progress 
of  the  disease  was  so  rapid  and  violent 
as  to  incapacitate  him  for  conversation, 
The  literary  labours  of  Mr.  Ward,  his 
efforts  for  upwards  of  20  years  in  print- 
ing the  sacred  Scriptures  in  the»lan- 
guages  of  the  East,  and  his  indefatigable 
ardour  in  evangelising  the  natives  of 
Hindostan,  endeared  him  to  thousands; 
and  his  death  will  be  deplored  as  a  seri- 
ous loss  to  the  Christian  world.  About 
twenty-five  years  ago  he  resided  at  Hull, 
and  edited  the  Hull  Advertiser. 

WARREN,  Mr.  Charles,  the  emi- 
nent engraver,  April  21.  at  Wandworth. 
He  was  conversing  cheerfully  at  the 
time,  but  the  stroke  of  death  reached 
him  without  pain,  and  he  stooped  his 
head  down  to  expire  in  an  instant. 
Long  actively  employed  in  the  bueinet>s 


470 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


of  life,  Mr.  Warren  was  generally  known, 
and  his  works  were  as  generally  ad- 
mired. Mr.  Warren  was  a  useful  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  Arts,  was  one  of 
the  chairmen  of  the  committee  of  Polite 
Arts,  and  lately  contributed  a  commu- 
nication to  the  society  on  the  practica- 
bility of  engraving  on  steel.  The  fol- 
lowing particulars  are  from  the  report  of 
the  Secretary.  "  Many  attempts  of  that 
nature  had  been  made,  from  the  time  of 
Albert  Durer  to  the  present  day.  It 
\vas  supposed  that  the  difficulty  of  en- 
graving on  so  hard  a  substance  would 
be  compensated  by  the  durability  of  the 
work.  It  had  been  usual  to  try  the  ex- 
periment on  a  thin  plate  of  steel,  but 
the  extreme  hardness  of  the  article 
blunted  the  different  instruments  which 
were  employed  in  cutting  it,  and  there- 
fore no  work  of  art  had,  for  a  long  pe- 
riod, been  engraved  on  steel.  Mr. 
Warren,  however,  heard  that  the  button- 
manufacturers  of  Birmingham  used  a 
process  by  which  they  lowered  the  hard- 
ness of  steel.  He  then  turned  his  whole 
attention  to  the  subject,  and  one  by  one, 
overcame  every  difficulty,  and  made 
some  exquisite  engravings  on  steel.  He 
laid  before  the  Society  copies  of  these 
engravings,  and  where  4,000  and  even 
5,000  prints  had  been  struck  off,  scarce- 
ly any  difference  could  be  observed  be- 
tween the  first  impression  and  the  last. 
They  all  had  the  appearance  of  proofs. 
If  he  had  kept  the  discovery  to  himself, 
it  would  have  tended  greatly  to  his  ad- 
vantage ;  but  he  preferred  the  improve- 
ment of  the  art  to  his  personal  interest, 
and  he  communicated  to  any  person, 
who  requested  it,  all  the  knowledge  he 
had  to  bestow.  Asa  compliment  to  the 
Society,  he  had  laid  the  discovery  before 
them,  and  it  had  been  investigated  on 
three  different  evenings,  with  the  most 
satisfactory  result.  Death  suddenly 
snatched  him  away,  in  the  full  vigour 
of  mind,  and  the  gold  medal  awarded 
to  him  by  the  Society  of  Arts  during  the 
last  year  was  therefore  delivered  to  his 
brother,  in  trust  for  his  orphan  daughter, 
on  the  28th  of  May,  by  his  Royal 
Highness  the  Duke  of  Sussex,  who, 
when  he  presented  it  said  "  In  the  midst 
of  your  affliction,  however,  it  must  af- 
ford you  great  consolation  to  know  how 
highly  your  brother's  character  was  es- 
teemed by  the  Society." 

WESLEY,  Mrs.  Sarah ;  Dec.  28, 
1822;  in  Nottingham-street,  Mary-le- 
bone  ;  in  her  97th  year.  Mrs.  Wesley 
was  relict  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Wesley, 


M.  A.  celebrated  for  his  sacred  poetry, 
author  of  the  well  known  hymn,  "Jesus, 
lover  of  my  soul,"  and  brother  to  the 
late  Rev.  John  Wesley,  M.  A.  She 
was  daughter  of  Marmaduke  Gwynne, 
Esq.  of  Garth,  Brecknock  shire  ;  and  was 
married,  April  9,  1749,  to  the  Rev.  C. 
Wesley,  with  whom  she  lived  in  the 
most  agreeable  manner  till  her  hus- 
band's death,  March  29,  1788.  One 
of  her  brothers,  the  late  Roderick 
Gwynne,  Esq.  was  Governor  of  Tobago. 
She  was  a  woman  of  good  sense,  piety, 
and  useful  accomplishments  ;  and  de- 
voted her  youth  to  God,  when  sur- 
rounded by  worldly  attractions  ;  and 
his  providence  and  grace  were  her  sup- 
port and  consolation  to  extreme  old  age. 

WEST,  Mr.  Thomas,  Jan.  23  ;  at 
Little  Bowden,  Northamptonshire,  in 
his  67th  year.  He  was  conversing  as 
usual  with  his  family,  when  a  sudden 
access  of  water  on  the  chest,  a  disease 
under  which  he  had  long  laboured, 
clianged  his  countenance,  and  he  expired 
without  a  struggle  or  a  groan.  Thus 
quietly  exchanging  infirmity  and  sorrow, 
for,  it  is  humbly  hoped,  eternal  rest. 

The  deceased  was  nearly  allied  to 
Admiral  West,  distinguished  by  his 
share  in  the  mournful  events  attached 
to  the  relief  of  Minorca  in  1756  ;  and 
also  to  Gilbert  West,  author  of  the  im- 
mortal treatise  on  the  Resurrection. 
His  maternal  ancestors  and  elder  brother 
constituted  an  unbroken  chain  of  Rec- 
tors of  Little  Bowden  for  above  150 
years,  one  of  whom,  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  the  First,  claims  remembrance 
as  a  confessor  in  the  cause  of  unshaken 
loyalty. 

The  predominant  features  of  Mr. 
West's  character  were  kindness  of  heart 
and  placability  of  temper.  Though  from 
great  natural  sensibility,  depressed  spi- 
rits, and  irritability  of  the  nervous  sys- 
tem consequent  on  his  disorder,  he  was 
disposed  to  feel  too  keenly  what  he 
deemed  unkind  or  illiberal  behaviour, 
it  was  impossible  for  him  to  entertain 
lasting  enmity  —  he  would  rather  antici- 
pate the  relentings  of  an  adversary  by 
spontaneous  advances  to  reconciliation. 
Peculiar  correctness  in  moral  conduct 
and  conversation  was  in  him  united 
with  a  truly  English  hospitality,  and  an 
unaffected  simplicity  of  manners  and 
deportment.  A  kind  and  faithful  hus- 
band, a  fond  indulgent  father,  a  lenient 
considerate  master  to  his  servants  (seve- 
ral of  whom  have  grown  grey  in  his 
family) — deep  and  lasting  are  the  regrets 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


471 


which  his  removal  excites.  Yet  recol- 
lecting the  incurable,  and  therefore 
hopeless  nature  of  his  disorder,  —  his 
participation  as  a  considerable  occupier, 
in  the  general  calamity,  which  has  fallen 
on  agriculture,  —  and  the  deep  wound 
given  to  his  strong  paternal  feelings  by 
the  sudden  death  of  his  youngest  son, 
fifteen  months  since  —  those  who  held 
him  most  dear  are  induced  to  say, 

"  O  let  him  pass  • —  he  hates  him 

That  would  upon  the  rack  of  this  rough 

world 
Stretch  him  out  longer." 

WILFORD,  Lieut.  Col.  Sep.  3. 
1822  ;  at  Benares,  of  debility.  By  this 
event  the  community  of  letters  in  the 
East  have  sustained  a  great  loss.  This 
eminent  scholar  has  been  long  celebrated 
as  a  most  learned  and  indefatigable 
cultivator  of  the  Asiatic  History  and 
Literature  of  the  Hindoos,  ife  was 
one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the 
Asiatic  Society,  and  soon  distinguished 
himself  by  his  contributions  to  their  re- 
searches ;  his  extensive  erudition  and 
unwearied  diligence  received  the  highest 
encomiums  from  Sir  William  Jones, 
and  secured  the  favourable  notice  of 
Warren  Hastings,  by  whose  encourage- 
ment Lieut.  Wilford  was  induced  toad- 
dress  his  whole  attention  to  those  studies 
to  which  he  perseveringly  devoted  the 
rest  of  his  life. 

WILKIE,  Patrick,  Esq.  late  his 
Majesty's  Consul  at  Carthagena  ;  in 
Sloane-street ;  deeply  lamented  by  his 
widow  and  numerous  circle  of  friends. 
This  highly  respected  gentleman  is  well 
known  to  have  been  of  very  material 
service  to  Lord  Nelson,during  his  Lord- 
ship's command  in  the  Mediterranean. 

WOODDESON,  Richard,  Esq. 
D.C.L.  Fellow  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen 
College,  Oxford  ;  and  Bencher  of  the 
Hon.  Society  of  the  Middle  Temple; 
Oct.  29,1822,  London;  in  his  77th 
year.  Dr.  Wooddeson  was  born  at 
Kingston-on-Thames,  May,  15,  1745, 
and  educated  solely  by  his  father,  the 
Rev.  Richard  Wooddeson,  who  was  for 
many  years  Master  of  the  Grammar- 
school  in  that  town,  and  distinguished 
as  well  by  several  elegant  poetical  com- 
positions, as  by  the  formation  of  many 
eminent  scholars,  amongst  whom  may 
be  mentioned  the  late  Mr.  Gilbert 
Wakefield,  and  the  celebrated  Mr. 
George  Hardinge. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen,  young  Richard 
was  entered  at  Pembroke  College,  Ox~ 


ford,  and  shortly  after  in  the  same  year 
(1759)  elected  to  a  Demyship  in  Mag- 
dalen College,  of  which  his  father  had 
been  a  Clerk,  and  his  grand-father  a 
Fellow  and  an  Incumbent.  He  pro- 
ceeded B.A.  in  1762,  and  at  the 
Encoenia  held  in  the  Theatre  at  Oxford, 
the  following  summer,  he  performed  a 
Latin  trialogue,  with  two  other  mem- 
bers of  his  society,  in  honour  of  the 
birth  of  his  present  Majesty. 

In  1766,  the  year  after  he  had  taken 
the  degree  of  M.A.  he  became  a  can- 
didate for  a  scholarship  on  Mr.  Viner's 
Foundation  of  Common  Law,  and 
being  chosen  by  a  majority  of  voices, 
was  admitted  to  the  situation,  by  what 
appears  to  have  been  an  unusual  con- 
struction of  the  statutes. 

Having  succeeded  in  1771,  to  a  col- 
lege fellowship,  Mr.  Wooddeson  was 
proposed  in  convocation  the  next  year, 
to  be  the  Deputy  Vinerian  Professor, 
which  appointment,  though  he  was 
then  rejected,  he  some  time  after  ob- 
tained, and  held  for  three  years,  being 
during  that  time  only  a  scholar  on  that 
foundation.  He  succeeded,  in  1776,  to 
a  Vinerian  Fellowship, and  the  succeed- 
ing spring,  on  the  resignation  of  Sir 
Robert  Chambers,  was  elected  Profes- 
sor in  his  room,  after  a  sharp  contest, 
in  which  he  obtained  a  majority  of  five 
votes  only,  over  his  opponent,  Mr. 
Giles  Rooke,  •  then  Fellow  of  Merton 
College,  afterwards  knighted,  and  rais- 
ed to  a  seat  on  the  judicial  bench. 

The  duties  of  this  office  were  per- 
formed by  the  subject  of  the  present 
memoir,  then  Doctor  of  Civil  Law,  in 
a  very  meritorious  and  conscientious 
manner,  for  the  space  of  sixteen  years  ; 
at  the  end  of  which  he  resigned  it,  not 
however  without  giving  to  the  world  a 
proof  of  his  sedulous  attention  to  the 
task  imposed  on  him,  in  two  publica- 
tions; the  first  in  1789,  entitled  "  Ele- 
ments of  Jurisprudence,  treated  of  in 
the  preliminary  Part  of  a  Course  of  Lec- 
tures, on  the  Laws  of  England;"  the  se- 
cond in  1792  and  1793,  "  A  systema- 
tick  View  of  the  laws  of  England,  a& 
treated  in  a  course  of  Vinerian  Lectures 
at  Oxford  ;"  dedicated  to  the  late  King. 
Besides  these  two  books,  nothing  ap- 
peared from  the  pen,  at  least  in  the 
name,  of  Dr.  Wooddeson,  except  a 
small  tract  in  1779,  called  "A  brief 
Vindication  of  the  Rights  of  the  British 
Legislature,  in  answer  to  some  Posi- 
tions advanced  in  a  Pamphlet  entitled 
Thoughts  on  the  English  Govern- 


472 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


ment."  But  the  following  extract  from 
the  advertisement  prefixed  by  the  late 
Sir  Samuel  Toller,  to  his  popular  work 
on  Tithes,  shews  that  Dr.  Wooddeson 
was  by  no  means  an  inactive  man,  but 
had  turned  his  thoughts  to  the  elucida- 
tion of  the  laws  and  customs  so  highly 
affecting  the  temporal  interests  of  the 
Established  Church,  and  the  peace  of 
its  members. 

"  Dr.  Wooddeson  having  collected  a 
variety  of  notes  with  a  view  to  extend 
and  prepare  them  for  a  publication  on 
the  subject,  was  compelled  by  an  ill 
state  of  health  to  relinquish  his  purpose, 
before  it  was  much  more  than  half  ac- 
complished, and  he  did  me  the  honour 
of  communicating  to  me  his  papers, 
with  a  request  that  I  would  revise  them, 
and  complete  the  work.  Encouraged 
by  the  confidence  reposed  in  me  by  my 
learned  friend,  I  comply  with  his  appro- 
bation, and  beg  leave  to  submit  to  the 
public  the  result  of  our  joint  labours." 
The  course  of  Lectures  read  at  Ox- 
ford, following  so  close  upon  the  steps 
of  the  pre-eminent  work  of  his  predeces- 
sor Judge  Blackstone,  could  not  fail  of 
appearing  in  public  with  great  disad- 
vantage, but  it  is  well  known  that  Chief 
Baron  Skinner  spoke  in  high  terms  of 
Dr.  Wooddeson's  view  of  the  Laws  of 
England ;  and  in  addition  to  the  gene- 
ral estimation  in  which  he  was  held  as 
an  able  and  honest  member  of  his  pro- 
fession, we  have  heard,  on  indisputable 
authority,  that  the  late  Lord  Ellenbo- 
rough  styled  him  one  of  the  best  sur- 
viving lawyers  of  the  old  school.  He 
had  the  honourable  office  of  counsel 
to  the  University  of  Oxford  for  many 
years,  indeed  till  towards  the  end  of  his 
life,  though  his  silent  and  retired  habits 
confined  him  principally  to  the  more 
private,  though  not  less  useful  duties  of 
a  chamber  counsel.  As  a  Commission- 
er of  Bankrupts,  he  was  constant  and 
regular  in  his  attendance  at  Guildhall, 
as  long  as  his  health  would  permit. 

The  acquirements  of  Dr.  Wooddeson, 
independent  of  his  professional  know- 
ledge, were  of  no  ordinary  kind,  and  he 
was  accustomed  in  early  life  to  meet 
and  associate  with  the  most  distinguish- 
ed men  of  literature  of  the  day,  who 
assembled  for  a  series  of  years  at  Mr. 
Payne's,  at  the  Mews  Gate,  amongst 
whom  were  Dr.  Akenside,  Mr.  Tyrr- 
whitt,  Mr.  Cracherode,  the  late  Dean 
of  Christ  Church,  the  Duke  of  Leeds, 
and  others  whom  it  is  not  necessary 
to  enumerate 


In  the  year  1808,  when  he  was  at 
Brighton  for  his  health,  a  fire  acciden- 
tally breaking  out  in  his  house  in  Chan- 
cery-lane, destroyed  the  whole  of  his 
property,  in  which  was  a  valuable  library 
of  books,  which  he  never  replaced.  At 
no  long  period  after  this  misfortune,  he 
was  shut  out  from  all  active  life  by  the 
increase  of  his  bodily  infirmities,  which 
he  continued  to  bear  with  great  patience 
and  cheerfulness  till  his  77th  year,  when 
he  left  the  world  in  perfect  resignation, 
and  with  all  his  faculties  unimpaired. 
Dr.  Wooddeson  died  on  the  29th  of 
October,  1822  ;  at  his  residence  in 
Boswell  Court,  Lincoln 's-inn-fields. 
He  was  buried  in  the  Benchers'  vault 
in  the  Temple  Church.  In  the  disposal 
of  his  property,  he  was  induced,  by  his 
warm  feelings  of  active  benevolence,  to 
leave  sums  of  money  to  many  charitable 
institutions  ;  nor  did  he  fail  to  acknow- 
ledge the  kind  assistance  invariably  af- 
forded him  by  his  colleagues  in  the  Com- 
missions of  Bankruptcy,  by  numerous 
testamentary  bequests,  as  he  had  already 
done  by  handsome  presents  during  his 
life.  To  the  University  of  Oxford  he 
left  30OI.  as  a  mark  of  his  grateful  re- 
gards, for  the  use  of  the  Clarendon 
Press ;  400/.  also  to  Magdalen  College, 
of  which  he  had  been  the  Senior  Fellow 
for  many  years,  down  to  the  period  of 
his  decease,  and  where  his  name  is  al- 
ways mentioned  by  his  fellow  collegians 
and  associates  with  the  utmost  respect 
and  attachment.  With  him  the  family 
of  Wooddeson  is  supposed  to  be  ex- 
tinct. 


YARBOROUGH,  Charles  Ander- 
son Pelham,  Lord ;  at  his  seat  at 
Brocklesby  Hall,  Lincolnshire,  aged 
75.  Mr.  Anderson,  which  was  his 
patronymic  name,  assumed  the  name  of 
Pelham  on  succeeding  to  the  fortune  of 
Charles  Pelham,  his  great  uncle.  He 
served  in  several  parliaments  for  the 
county  of  Lincoln,  till  the  year  1792, 
when,  by  the  interest  of  Mr.  Pitt,  to 
whom  he  had  attached  himself,  he  was, 
by  the  King,  created  Baron  Yarbo- 
rough.  His  lordship  soon,  however, 
changed  his  politics,  and  for  many 
years  voted  with  opposition.  He  was 
not  distinguished  as  an  orator  in  either 
house  of  parliament.  He  is  succeeded 
in  his  title  and  estate  by  his  son,  the 
Hon.  Charles  Anderson  Pelbam,  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX    FOR    1823. 


473 


Appledurcombe,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight ; 
that  gentleman  having  succeeded  to  that 
estate  as  heir  at  law  to  the  late  Sir 
Richard  Worsley.  Mr.  Pelham,  in 
the  House  of  Commons,  has  steadily 
voted  with  opposition.  Lord  Yarbo- 
rough  was  LL.D.  F.R.S.  and  F.A.S. 

YOUNG,  Charles,  Esq.  at  South- 
ampton, 17th  of  December,  1822;  in 
the  26th  year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Young, 
who  was  the  fourth  son  of  the  celebrat- 
•  ed  Professor  Young  of  Glasgow,  was 
a  gentleman,  of  whose  future  literary 
eminence  his  natural  talents  and  early 
attainments  afforded  the  most  flattering 
promises.  He  acquired  the  rudiments 
of  classical  instruction  under  the  roof  of 
his  father's  intimate  and  learned  friend, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Burney,  of 
Greenwich,  and  passed  through  the 
course  of  languages  and  philosophy  in 
the  University  of  Glasgow,  with  uni- 
form approbation,  and  on  several  occa- 
sions with  public  marks  of  distinction. 
Afterwards  he  was  a  student  for  some 
years  at  Balhol  College,  Oxferd,  but 
his  delicate  health  obliged  him  to  leave 


that  University  and  his  country,  and  to 
repair  to  the  milder  climates  of  France 
and  Italy.  After  spending  two  years 
in  them,  gratifying  and  cultivating  his 
taste  for  the  fine  arts,  extending  his 
knowledge  of  classical  and  modern  lite- 
rature, and  enjoying  the  society  and 
friendship  of  many  eminent  men  ot 
learning,  in  Paris,  Rome,  and  Naples, 
he  returned  home  with  no  common 
share  of  refined  and  elegant  accom- 
plishments, but  without  any  essential 
benefit  to  his  health.  His  complaints 
compelled  him  to  abandon  the  prospect 
of  succeeding  his  father  in  those  acade- 
mic and  literary  occupations,  for  which 
his  taste  and  his  talents  rendered  him 
eminently  qualified.  To  these  com- 
plaints he  fell  a  victim,  and  ended  his 
short  and  virtuous  life  with  the  most 
perfect  composure  and  resignation,  re- 
taining to  the  last  hour  of  it  the  exer- 
cise of  those  faculties,  and  of  those  kind 
and  'gentle  manners,  which  had  so  much 
endeared  him  to  his  family,  his  friends, 
and  his  acquaintance. 


END    OF   THE   EIGHTH   VOLUME. 


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